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PLAYING CALLERS 

























FLORA* 3 FRED 
PRETEND 

Laura Rountree Smith/^ 

Illustrations by Clara M.Burd 


THE TRADE MARK 



for the 

HAPPY CHILD 








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Copyright 1923 
C. H. Van Vliet Co. 

Chicago 

Printed in United States of America 



_ v . rt 


OCT 26 23 


©C1A760552 

^ L- b f A 


CHAPTER I 

A PLAY-TIME TALE 

If you are lonesome and need a good 
friend, 

Call on dear little, queer little Patty Pre¬ 
tend. 

Patty Pretend was always making be¬ 
lieve from morning until night. If the 
day was rainy, she pretended that sh.e 
liked a rainy day. If she had to stay at 
home when she wanted to go out, she pre¬ 
tended that she liked to stay at home. 

If she settled herself down in her lit¬ 
tle red rocking-chair to read and Mother 
Pretend wanted an errand done at the 
store that very minute, Patty Pretend 
would say to herself, “I really must pre¬ 
tend that I like to run errands for every- 

3 v: .... 


4 The Make-Believe Book 

body whenever they call on my willing’ 
little feet.” 

She was a very happy little girl, but 
one day, when there was a sunshiny 
shower, she sat down in Grandmother’s 
old Arm-Chair and said, 

“I am very sorry to say it is true, 

I haven’t a single thing to do.” 

The old-fashioned flowers on the old- 
fashioned Chair said, to her surprise, 

“Dressing up is very good fun; 

By many children it is done.” 

Patty Pretend then thought that the 
flounce on the old-fashioned Chair said, 

“Wear the prettiest costume ever seen; 
Just pretend you’re a little Queen.” 

“What fun!” exclaimed Patty Pretend. 

She found Grandmother’s lace cap 


The Make-Believe Book i> 

with the pretty red ribbon bows on it 
and Mother’s long red scarf. She found 
her own little party fan with the string 
of red beads upon it. 

With the aid of a brush, comb, mirror 
and powder-puff jar, she made herself 
look very much like a little Queen, and 
had to put her hand to her mouth to keep 
from smiling as she looked in the mirror, 
for she was sure a real Queen ought to 
look proud. She had never seen a picture 
of a smiling Queen. 

She knew that in Court it was the cus¬ 
tom to have a Jester, so she took Brother 
Bow-Wow and tied one of her yellow 
hair-ribbons round his neck. 

He was such a good-natured fellow, he 
even let her tie a ribbon round his tail. 

Patty Pretend put a string of beads a- 
round Brother Bow-Wow’s neck, tied 


6 


The Make-Believe Book 


him to one end of the sofa pillow and 
sang-, 

“To be a Jester I’ll teach you how; 

When asked a question, say ‘Bow- 
Wow.’ ” 

Brother Bow-Wow sat still and looked 
very wise. 

How they wished visitors might ar¬ 
rive. 

The Geranium on the window-sill found 
a voice and said, “Grandma sat in that 
chair once long ago, dressed up just like 
you, just like you.” 

The Geranium then talked in verse, as 
it continued, 

“She sat in the big chair just like you, 
And then she had callers two and two; 
They were little people, as you suppose, 
But they wore funny grown-up clothes. 


The Make-Believe Book 


7 


Once, when Grandma dear was napping, 
Visitors came tapping, tapping; 

Two and two, two and two, 

They’ll come calling to-day on YOU.” 

At this very minute, Brother Bow-Wow 
lifted up his head. He listened, and Patty 
listened, and they heard a gentle rap-a- 
tap on the door. 

Patty called, 

“I have no messenger here to send; 

‘Come in,’ calls little Patty Pretend.” 

Two very jolly little people came in, 
saying, 

“Let’s have a play-time never to end, 
Say your cousins, Flora and Freddy 
Pretend.” 

Freddy handed a card to Patty on 
which was written their Play-Time 
names. They called themselves Prince 
and Princess Make-Believe. 


8 The Make-Believe Book 

The Prince wore an elegant stove-pipe 
hat, and royal red slippers which, in his 
haste to depart, he had slipped on over 
his sneakers. 

He looked, however, very Princely, of 
course. 

The Princess wore an old-fashioned 
bonnet with a new-fashioned blue ribbon 
upon it and a wonderful cape that trailed 
behind her on the floor. 

She looked very much like a real Prin¬ 
cess, of course. 

The Prince handed the Queen his card, 
also an invitation which read in this in¬ 
formal way, 

“We invite you to our house for Thanks¬ 
giving Day, 

Though Mother and Father will be a- 
way; 


The Make-Believe Book 


9 


How we’ll get dinner we cannot say, 
But we’ll have a Thanksgiving Play.” 

Patty Pretend forgot she was a Queen 
and jumped down from Grandmother’s 
old-fashioned Chair, and Brother Bow- 
Wow barked and leaped up in the air, 
and the visitors danced merrily, singing, 

“Let’s give three cheers and a grand 
hurray 

Let’s give three cheers for Thanksgiv¬ 
ing Day.” 

After they had romped a while, the sun 
peeped through the clouds and said, in 
a sing-song kind of way, 

“There is room, I do declare, 

For three in Grandmother’s Arm- 
Chair.” 

The children then sat down side by 
side in the old Arm-Chair, and Brother 
Bow-Wow jumped up on one arm of the 


10 The Make-Believe Book 


Chair and tore the yellow ribbon off his 
tail. 

To the surprise of all, the old Arm- 
Chair began to talk. 

The old Arm-Chair said, “Children al¬ 
ways like to pretend they are grown up 
and they like to wear grown-up clothes 
and put on grown-up manners, and 
grown people sometimes like to pretend 
they are young again.” 

“I have seen a great many queer things 
in my day,” continued Grandmother’s old 
Arm-Chair. “I often sit in my corner and 
give advice to the foolish young Rocking- 
Chair who is never satisfied except when 
in motion. I give advice to all new-com¬ 
ers, for I am very old-fashioned in my 
ideas. I say to the Straight-Backed 
Chairs, 

‘On the rounds children put their feet; 
That is not a habit polite or neat. 


The Make-Believe Book 


11 


Chairs should be dusted each week, you 
know; 

I hope you told the House-Maid so.’ 

“The High-Backed Chair listened to 
me very quietly but the frisky little Rock¬ 
ing Chair began to rock in the breeze 
and said, 

‘I like to rock all day, of course; 

I am a cousin of the Rocking-Horse.’ 

“I felt I must keep one eye on the frisky 
little Rocking-Chair so I never closed my 
eyes that night, and by and by, the Rock¬ 
ing-Chair rocked out the open window, 
and because it was lonesome for its cousin 
the Rocking-Horse, it rocked away, away, 
away. By daylight it rocked back again 
and had many merry tales to tell me. 

“The frisky little Rocking-Chair had 
rocked into a home where a splendid 
Rocking-Horse stood, and together they 
rocked over hill and dale until they came 


12 The Make-Believe Book 


to an Orphans’ Home where ninety-six 
children lived. 

“My! what fun they had taking turns 
rocking those ninety-six children to sleep 
and singing ninety-six songs. 

“I learned this song when the Rock¬ 
ing-Chair returned, 

“ ‘Rocking, rocking, to and fro, 

Very quiet keep, 

Rocking, rocking to and fro, 

Off to the Land of Sleep; 

If you do not go to bed, 

You will be a Sleepy-Head, 

So, at least, I’ve heard said, 
Rocking to and fro!’ ” 

Grandma’s old Arm-Chair continued, 
“I have lived so long in the Land of Make- 
Believe that I have learned many useful 
things. 

“I have learned some things so very 
funny, 


The Make-Believe Book 


18 


If it rains, I pretend that the day is 
sunny; 

To be happy is worth much more than 
money, 

I have learned some things so very 
funny.” 

The children said, “You are the most 
wonderful old Arm-Chair in the world. 
We wish every chair in the world could 
talk.” 

They sat side by side, ’till the day should 
end, 

With dear little, queer little Patty Pre¬ 
tend, 

Said the small jar that held the powder 
puff, 

“Do children ever get play enough?” 

Said the brush that lay on the old Arm- 
Chair, 

“I am thankful you use me, I do declare.” 

Said the mirror, “So many sights I’ve 
seen, 


14 The Make-Believe Book 

I am always happy when faces are 
CLEAN.” 

Patty Pretend said, “Sometimes when 
I look in the mirror I imagine I can see a 
procession pass, and I wonder if this lit¬ 
tle mirror has a story to tell.” 

The children sat still in the old Arm- 
Chair, 

And into the mirror began to stare. 

Soon they heard a merry voice sing, 
“Ha, ha, ha! I am the Looking-Glass 
Child. I have just as much fun as you do, 
for I make-believe you like to wash your 
face and hands and like to wear stiffly- 
starched clothes, and like to smile when 
you are told to practice or go to bed. Ha, 
ha, ha! I like to make-believe that chil¬ 
dren like rainy days indoors, and I like 
to make-believe they are always happy 
and good.” 


The Make-Believe Book 


15 


The children laughed and said, “Does 
every mirror have a Looking-Glass 
Child?” 

To this, the mirror replied, as it re¬ 
flected their laughing faces, 

“If you go to Fairyland just a minute, 
You’ll meet a mirror with a Fairy in it.” 

You see this really did not answer their 
question at all. 

Patty Pretend said to the Looking- 
Glass Child in the mirror, “Would you 
like to come to our Thanksgiving Play 
next week?” 

The Looking-Glass Child faded away, 
Without another word to say; 

But she really gave them to understand 
She’d like to come, by a wave of the hand. 

Just then there came a gentle rapping, 
tapping, and Grandma peeped in the door. 


16 The Make-Believe Book 


In the twinkling of an eye Patty be¬ 
came a little Queen again and Freddy 
and Flora Pretend became the Prince and 
Princess Make-Believe, and Brother Bow- 
Wow became the Court Jester, and 
Grandma took their pictures just as you 
see them now. 

“Our pictures all over the world we’ll 
send,” 

Said dear little, queer little Patty Pre¬ 
tend. 


Chapter Two 


A THANKSGIVING PLAY 










CHAPTER 2 

A THANKSGIVING PLAY 

Said Patty Pretend, “I’m off and away 
To make a visit on Thanksgiving Day; 
Thanksgiving comes, we all remember, 
In the bonnie month November; 

I am happy and gay, I’m off and away 
To make a visit on Thanksgiving Day.” 

Patty Pretend was very much excited 
one November day for she had an invita¬ 
tion to spend a week with her cousins, 
Flora and Freddy Pretend, and they were 
going to spend much of the week plan¬ 
ning for a Thanksgiving dinner. 

Patty Pretend waved good bye to 
Grandma and started with a hop, and a 
skip, and a bound down the walk. She 
went singing merry little songs to her¬ 
self all the way. 


19 


20 


The Make-Believe Book 


Just as she had gotten well started, 
Grandma called, 

“Patty dear, it is almost beyond belief, 
But you started without a handker¬ 
chief.” 

Patty Pretend danced back and got a 
neat little white handkerchief. Then she 
started off again but she had not gone 
far when Grandma called, 

“Your travelling bag you quite forgot, 
And you will need it, like as not.” 

Patty Pretend laughed and showed her 
dimples and said, “Grandma, you are very 
patient with me. What will I forget 
next?” 

She started off gayly with her neat 
handkerchief and her travelling bag and 
thought she was safely along the way 
when Grandma called, 

“To be polite I know you try; 

.Come back and kiss me in good-bye.” 


The Make-Believe Book 21 


Patty Pretend danced back and kissed 
dear Grandma on both cheeks and this 
time she went on her way, only stopping 
to wave her neat white handkerchief to 
Grandma at the corner. 

When she reached her cousins’ home, 
she saw them all at the window with their 
noses flattened against the window-pane. 
Little Molly, nick-named “Me-Too,” a 
neighbor’s child, was with them, and they 
all set up a shout, 

“A carriage we thought we’d have to 
send 

For dear little, queer little Patty Pre¬ 
tend.” 

They had waited so long and anxiously, 
they thought Patty might not be coming 
to visit them after all. 

The children were very merry at the 
prospect of being left together to keep 
house, you may be sure. 


22 TheMake-Believe Book 


Mother and Father Pretend rode away, 
saying, 

“We hope you’ll be good, and happy, and 

gay, 

Though we’ll not be with you on Thanks¬ 
giving Day.” 

“Don’t be too sure of that,” called the 
Whistling Wind, but no one paid the 
slightest attention, for we are so used to 
hearing the Wind complain. 

Flora Pretend hugged Patty, and 
Freddy said, 

“Here is the jolliest game we ever played; 
Come on, and join the apron brigade.” 

They went to the kitchen drawer and 
took out large aprons, small aprons, mid¬ 
dle sized aprons, white aprons, colored 
aprons and every kind of apron you could 
imagine. They took out aprons to fit 
small people and large people and they 


The Make-Believe Book 23 


were very merry fitting aprons on them¬ 
selves and on each other. 

Patty was a wonderful little cook, so 
she took a good deal of time making a 
paper cap so she would look like a great 
cook; then she got out the dishes and 
rolling pin and set everybody to work. 

There was magic in the kitchen and 
everything began to talk. 

Said the jolly old Wooden Table, 

“To cook some things you’re surely able.” 

The children looked up rules for cook¬ 
ing and said, “We will make a pie and 
make a cake, and Little Me-Too can help 
stir the frosting.” 

They were just ready to begin when 
the Rolling Pin nearly rolled off the 
table. 

Said the talkative Rolling Pin, 

“WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE YOU 
BEGIN!” 


24 The Make-Believe Book 


Soon the children all had clean hands 
and they really and truly began to cook 
for Thanksgiving Day. 

As Patty Pretend made the crust for 
her pie she said, 

“To make the nicest kind of pie 
I really, truly now will try; 

A heaping cup of flour I take, 

Measure it—make no mistake; 

To remember is often hard,— 

Take a heaping teaspoon of lard, 

If I fail it will be my fault; 

Add a pinch of soda and pinch of salt, 
Add water and with a knife then mix it, 
In a hot oven I soon will fix it; 

I always roll my crust out thin 
With a very willing rolling pin.” 

“Don’t forget the apples,” shouted 
Flora, and Freddy said, “Do put cinna¬ 
mon and sugar on them.” 


The Make-Believe Book 


25 


Patty Pretend put her crust on her 
well-greased pan and put in the nicely 
sliced apples; then she rolled out her top 
pie crust and pricked holes in it with her 
fork. 

She put the top crust on her pie and 
pricked all round the edges neatly with 
her fork. 

The pie looked good enough to eat be¬ 
fore it went into the oven. 

That day the children made two apple 
pies and a fine cake. 

Freddy said, 

“I hope the pie will quickly bake; 

Come on, let’s make a great big cake.” 

Patty told him how to mix a cake by a 
rule her Grandmother had taught her. 

Flora made the frosting and said, 

“I know how to frost a cake; 

In this I never make mistake.” 


26 TheMake-Believe Book 


Little Me-Too had a tiny bowl of frost¬ 
ing, also, for she always wanted to be do¬ 
ing something, but she was so little she 
spent most of her time tasting it. You 
see, she really did not know how to work 
yet. 

Just then Patty began to laugh, and 
Freddy began to laugh, and Flora and 
Little Me-Too began to laugh, for Freddy 
was stirring his cake so hard that it 
spilled over on the table and on the floor 
so 


Mrs. Meow, the jolly old cat, 

Made a very good meal of that. 

The children had such a jolly time 
cooking that day and the next, and next, 
and all the time it grew nearer and nearer 
Thanksgiving Day and they made great 
plans for a Thanksgiving dinner, of 
course. 


The Make-Believe Book 27 


They made a mince pie so it would 
keep nicely and a fruit cake so it would 
keep a while, and 

Said the pumpkin, with a sigh, 

“I hope you’ll turn me into a pie.” 

Finally Thanksgiving Day dawned 
clear and bright. 

Said the vegetables in the basket, 

“Prepare us now before we ask it.” 

There were so many kinds of vege¬ 
tables on hand you could not count them 
all. 

What a wonderful dinner they planned! 

What a wonderful table they set! 

Polly Pretend said, “I will just set a 
plate for Grandmother, for I want to pre¬ 
tend she is here.” 


28 The Make-Believe Book 


Flora and Freddy said, “Let us set 
plates, too, for Father and Mother Pre¬ 
tend, and Little Me-Too thought of her 
Grandmother and set another plate, say¬ 
ing, “Me-Too.” 

Just for the fun of it, they set four 
extra plates on the table and everything 
was ready for a wonderful dinner. 

Suddenly, unexpectedly, and without 
any warning, whatever, Patty cried, “We 
forgot something.” 

The other children exclaimed, “What? 
Where? Why? When? Tell us about it!” 

Patty Pretend laughed and said, 

“How can we have dinner, tell me, pray, 
Without a turkey on Thanksgiving 
Day?” 

The children then looked as solemn as 
owls. 


The Make-Believe Book 29 


Said the plate upon the shelf, 

“I could have suggested that myself.” 

Said the next plate, “You make a great 
noise 

For only Make-Believe girls and boys.” 

Said the pitcher, “It may come out well 
On Thanksgiving Day, we cannot tell.” 

The Whistling Wind blew a gust and 
rattled the doors and windows and 
“tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,” rang the little 
door bell. 

When the door was opened, there stood 
Grandmother Pretend and Grandmother 
Me-Too, and Father and Mother Pretend. 
They all looked as big as life and twice as 
natural. 

They had baskets of good things and 
a fine roasted turkey. 

They came unexpectedly, of course. 


30 The Make-Believe Book 

They praised the jolly little cooks and 
all shook hands all round and all sat down 
and had a fine feast that Thanksgiving 
Day. 

Father and Mother Pretend had been 
to a city where they do things differently 
and often give you a surprise. 

They brought home four turkey¬ 
shaped candy-boxes and gave them to the 
four happy-hearted children who liked 
to play Make-Believe. 

There were turkey bones left for Mrs. 
Meow and baskets and baskets full of 
good things to spare. 

Mother Pretend said, 

“Put your wraps on in a trice, 

And I will tell you something nice.” 

The children put on their coats, and 
overshoes, and rubbers and mittens, and 



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The Make-Believe Book 


31 


Mother and Father Pretend packed four 

baskets and sent the children 

Over the hills and far away, 

To help others keep Thanksgiving Day; 

They found a widow who lived alone, 

And took her a basket, the finest one. 

They found a family, it is true, 

Quite like the Old Woman Who Lived In 
A Shoe; 

They found a Crooked Man, let me ex¬ 
plain, 

Who lived alone in Primrose Lane. 

And they found a wee boy who couldn’t 
walk, 

So they stopped and had a merry talk; 

Then hippety-hop, they went off and 
away, 

Shouting, “Hurrah for Thanksgiving 
Day”! 











Chapter Three 

A SCHOOL-DAY PLAY 









































CHAPTER 3 
A SCHOOL-DAY PLAY 

On Saturday falls April Fool, 

Then why not play at going to school? 

One Saturday, the First of April, Flora 
and Freddy Pretend woke with scowling 
faces, for the rain fell “patter, patter” on 
the roof and they could not think of any¬ 
thing to play in the rain. They said, 

“We really do not know what to play, 

Upon such a rainy Saturday.” 

Just then Patty Pretend came knock¬ 
ing at the door, for she got up bright 
and early even on Saturday. 

She had with her two little children, 
Gertie Grumble, and Molly who was 
called by the nick-name of Little Me- 
Too. 


35 


36 The Make-Believe Book 


Patty Pretend said, 

“There is some fun, as a rule, 

In just playing going to school.” 

Father Pretend, who was the school 
janitor, said, “I will give you my key and 
you can really, truly go to school to-day, 
if you like. 

You can start ahead of me; 

Here’s the big, long, shining key.” 

“Hurrah, hurrah!” cried the children. 

They started to school as happy as 
happy could be. 

Patty Pretend said she would be the 
teacher, so she stopped to borrow a real 
grown-up skirt and a high-backed shell- 
comb from Mother Pretend. 

Patty Pretend made a fine little 
teacher. 


The Make-Believe Book 37 


She gave the children their seats and 
books and slates, and Gertie Grumble 
said, 

“I think this is an April Fool; 

I never find any fun in school.” 

Patty Pretend handed her a primer 
with a wonderful drawing of a cat in it 
and let her copy the picture on the black¬ 
board, as well as the word “Cat.” 

She was so happy that she forgot to 
grumble for all of sixteen minutes! 

Freddy drew whatever he pleased on 
his slate. 

Little Me-Too upset the ink and tore a 
copy book and had to have a Make-Be¬ 
lieve spanking before Flora Pretend 
could be heard reading from a red-cov¬ 
ered story book. 


38 The Make-Believe Book 


By and by, when all were quiet, she 
read an April Fool Story. 

“Once upon a time April Fool’s Day 
came on Monday. 

At six o’clock in the morning 1 the 
School Bell said, 

“I’ll play a joke, the very thing 1 , 

I simply will refuse to ring.” 

The School Bell said he saw no harm 
in playing a joke once a year. 

“I will play a joke, too, tick, took,” 

Said the reliable School-Room Clock. 

The School-Room Clock ran slower, 
and slower and finally stopped. It said 
it had no vacation for nearly a year. 

The Waste Basket then said, “Alas! 

When called I will forget to pass.” 


The Make-Believe Book 39 

The Waste Basket complained that he 
was usually so full that his sides ached. 

The Erasers, too, then hurried to say, 
“We’ll not clean the boards this April 
Day.” 

My! What a strange school day that 
was! 

Some children were late to school be¬ 
cause they did not hear the bell ring, and 
some children did not come at all. 

Some classes were too long and some 
too short because the Clock was not run¬ 
ning! 

The Waste Basket and Erasers were so 
independent that the children did not 
know what to make of it and said, 


“This is such a funny day in school, 
Because you know it is April Fool.” 


40 The Make-Believe Book 


Then a great big man came and fixed 
the School Bell, and a little wee man came 
and fixed the School-Room Clock, and 
the Waste Basket began to pass and the 
Erasers began to erase and the Clock 
said, 

“Tick, tick, toek, you know it’s true, 
Every one has work to do, 

So, keep a happy, pleasant face, 

Each one working in his place.” 

The old School Bell said, 

“My heart is light as any bubble, 

I really meant to cause no trouble.” 

The teacher said she was glad that 
April Fool’s Day came only once a year, 
and the children laughed merrily.” 

The children might have played school 
all day but Patty Pretend said, “I wonder 
if the Mouse in Mother Goose Land ever 
ran up this Clock, or if there is a Fairy in 
the School-Room Clock?” 


The Make-Believe Book 


41 


There was a Fairy in the Clock, 
Singing softly, “tick, tick, tock; 

A useful joke why don’t you play? 
For April Fool is here today.” 

Freddy Pretend was so surprised that 
he rolled right out of his seat and upset 
the geography and dictionary and sing¬ 
ing book on which he was sitting. 

To his surprise the Geography stood up 
and said, 

“Name all the State capitals you can, 

If you ever expect to be a man.” 

The Dictionary asked him to spell a 
whole page of words and the Singing 
Book required him to sing a song. 

Flora Pretend was so surprised to hear 
the voice of a real Fairy in the Clock that 
she dropped the red-covered story book 
out of which she had been reading, and 
Gertie Grumble smiled and said, “The 


42 The Make-Believe Book 


Clock must make a pleasant little home 
for a Fairy.” 

Little Me-Too cried, “Say it again, say 
it again.” 

The Fairy now only sang “Tick, tick, 
tock,” as the minutes ticked away. 

Patty Pretend said, “Let us sweep and 
dust this room and clean the erasers and 
put everything to rights as a fine sur¬ 
prise and April Fool joke on Father Pre¬ 
tend.” 

The children were as busy as bees. 

They always really tried to please. 

The room was soon as neat as a pin and 
they were ready for lunch. 

As they looked at their lunch basket 
they all cried, “Hush, be still! There is 
another April Fool joke.” 


The Make-Believe Book 


43 


The children spread newspapers on the 
desks and had a wonderful lunch. 

When Patty bit into an apple she said, 
“Oh!” 

When Freddy bit into an apple he said, 
“Oh my!” 

All the children’s eyes got so big they 
looked like door knobs, and what do you 
suppose had happened? 

The round, rosy, red things in the bas¬ 
ket were not apples at all. They were 
round, rosy, red candy boxes, a fine sur¬ 
prise and April Fool joke from Mother 
Pretend. 

The children had jolly fun all that rainy 
Saturday and said, 

“We can have fun in the rain, 

If we play indoors again.” 


44 TheMake-Believe Book 


Freddy Pretend was teacher after 
lunch and made the children draw all 
kinds of animals on the blackboard. 

Flora Pretend made them spell down, 
and Gertie Grumble suggested an April 
Fool Game. 

Little Me-Too wore a paper Fool’s Cap 
and skipped outside a circle they formed. 
They all sang to the tune of “Lightly 
Row,” as they skipped round and round, 

“April Fool, April Fool, 

Brings some jokes now as a rule; 

April Fool, April Fool 
Comes in every school. 

To be good we all should try, 
While the time is passing by; 

April Fool, April Fool 
Comes in every school.” 


The Make-Believe Book 45 


Just as Little Me-Too dropped the 
Fool’s Cap behind Freddy Pretend, and 
just as they were going to change places, 
Father Pretend looked in and saw every¬ 
thing in order in the room. He said, 

“I see clean desks and a very clean floor, 
Will you ride home in a coach-and- 
four?” 

How the children laughed, for they 
were sure that Father Pretend was 
playing a joke on them and they knew 
he had no coach-and-four. 

Imagine their surprise to see at the 
door four workmen with four wheelbar¬ 
rows, who tucked them in and wheeled 
them home in the twinkling of an eye. 

The happy children said over and over 
again, 

“We want to play school another day; 
We wish April Fool would come to stay. 


46 


T h e Make-Believe Book 


Our hearts are happy and light and gay; 
We want to play school another day; 
We’ll all away, we’ll all away, 

And meet again some time in May.” 





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Chapter Four 

A MAY-DAY GARDEN PLAY 



w 


CHAPTER 4 

A MAY-DAY GARDEN PLAY 

Said Patty dear, “I’m going to send 
For my cousins, Flora and Freddy Pre¬ 
tend.” 

It was spring time, and garden time, 
and planting time and growing time and 
everything was happy, happy, happy. 

Patty sat down at her own little writ¬ 
ing desk and wrote an invitation to her 
cousins to come and spend Saturday with 
her and help her plant her garden. The 
children were only too happy to come, 
you may be sure. 

Patty wore a little suit of blue over-alls 
and looked like a real boy. 

Flora wore her little red calico dress 
and red sun-bonnet and white apron. 


49 


50 The Make-Believe Book 

Freddy wore his striped trousers and old 
velvet jacket and straw hat. 

Brother Bow-Wow had once taken a 
bite out of Freddy’s straw hat in play. 

The children went to the old shed, sing¬ 
ing, 

“We need tools for garden days, 

We need a trowel for work-day plays, 
We’ll get a shovel and sprinkler too, 
For we have really much work to do; 
And we think, as like as not, 

We’ll transplant flowers from each pot; 
The Darling Dolls and Teddy Bear 
We’ll take out, for they need the air.” 

Patty had been raising bulbs all winter. 

Now, she took a daffodil from one of 
the pots and transplanted it into the 
ground. 


The Make-Believe Book 51 


Freddy helped her transplant gera¬ 
niums and foliage plants, and Flora clap¬ 
ped her hands and sang, 

“Yellow dandelions on the ground, 
Here are the very first I’ve found; 

Let’s pick the dandelions gay, 

And make a pretty spring bouquet.” 

The children stopped and picked a 
wonderful bouquet of dandelions, and 
Mother Pretend called, 

“You are picking dandelions gay; 
What will gentle South Wind say?” 

Father Pretend said, “I will tell you a 
story about the dandelion. ‘Once upon a 
time the South Wind saw a lovely girl 
in the meadow. She had streaming 
golden hair and every day she became 
more beautiful. One fall day he looked 
for the girl and saw that North Wind 


52 The Make-Believe Book 


had touched her and her golden hair had 
all turned white. 

The South Wind sighed so deeply 
people said, “How hard the wind blows.” 
The wind blew and blew until it blew the 
girl’s white hair away. 

Many dandelions came next spring 
but in the fall they all turned white and 
every one cried, ‘See the dandelion fuzz.’ ” 

The children asked, “Does the daffodil, 
also, have a story to tell?” 

Father Pretend had to go to work, so 
he had no more time for story-telling 
that day, but Mother Pretend said, “I will 
tell you a story about Little Lady Daffo¬ 
dil. ‘Once upon a time a little girl loved 
the woods so well she wanted to stay out 
doors all the time. She wore a green 
dress and yellow sun-bonnet. When she 
was caned in to meals or to go to bed, 


The Make-Believe Book 53 


she always said, “Do let me stay out a 
little longer.” 

One day a fairy waved a wand over her, 
and her dress changed into green leaves 
and her sun-bonnet became a yellow 
flower and she stayed in the woods as 
Little Lady Daffodil.’ ” 

Freddy caught hold of Flora and 
said, “I hope you will not turn into a 
flower. I would much rather have you 
for my own little sister. I do not even 
want to PRETEND that you will ever 
turn into a flower.” 

Mother Pretend taught the children to 
plant flowers and seeds in even rows. 
She said, “I know you will be successful 
now because you are observing garden 
laws.” 

She told them to listen to what the 
trowel and rake and hoe and wheelbar¬ 
row had to say, for she said, 


54 The Make-Believe Book 

“Everything has a story, my dears; 

I’ve known this thing for years and 
years.” 

Mother Pretend went into the house to 
make pies and cookies and the children 
went on planting their garden in real 
earnest. 

The trowel began to talk. 

Said the trowel, “Without a doubt, 

I’ll help you put the weeds to rout.” 

The rake began to talk. 

Said the garden rake, “You know, 

I’ll rake away the old grass, so.” 

The hoe and shovel said, 

“We’re garden tools so new and dandy, 
We really hope we’ll come in handy.” 

The old wheelbarrow said, 

“I’ll tell you a story another day, 

But now I feel like wheeling away.” 


The Make-Believe Book 55 


The watering pot stood by the pump 
and remarked, 

“I’m very useful, it’s in my power 
To give the flowers a gentle shower.” 

Flora began to water the flowers and 
even sprinkled the Darling Dolls and 
Teddy Bear by mistake, but they were 
good-natured and did not seem to care 
in the least. 

The children should have been satis¬ 
fied for it was a sunshiny day, but they 
peeped through the fence that led into 
the Cross, Crusty Old Gentleman’s 
garden. “How we wish we could look at 
his flowers. See, they are as tall as 
bushes while our flowers are just begin¬ 
ning to grow,” said the children. 

A little humming bird flew into their 
garden and they pretended it sang, 


56 The Make-Believe Book 


“Come onto our garden walks; 

Every flower here really talks.” 

A robin sang in a cherry tree in the 
garden next door and they pretended 
that he sang, “Come inside, come inside.” 

The children talked together and 
said, “We have been told never to go into 
strange gardens without an invitation,” 
but Flora peeped through the bars of the 
fence and Freddy crept nearer and 
-nearer the gate and Patty Pretend 
opened the gate that led into the mysteri¬ 
ous garden. 

The children went inside the garden 
on tip-toe. 

Click! went the garden gate and they 
felt like prisoners inside the strange 
garden. 

“Click, click,” how the gate did sound; 
They stood upon enchanted ground. 


The Make-Believe Book 57 


Everything they wished for they had 
in a minute. 

My! what a mistake Flora made when 
she wished she were a little white butter¬ 
fly and began to feel real wings growing. 

My! what a mistake Freddy made 
when he wished he were a little rabbit 
and felt his ears growing longer and 
longer! 

Patty Pretend wished she were a bird 
and felt her nose turning into a beak. 

Then, as butterfly, rabbit and bird 
they looked back into the old garden and 
wished they were children again. 

This was a lucky wish, of course, 
and they became Pretend children again. 

At this very critical minute the Cross* 
Crusty Old Gentleman called, 


58 The Make-Believe Book 


“In my garden strange sights I see; 

Now, I have captured prisoners 
three.” 

The children were so scared that they 
quaked in their boots. Did the Cross, 
Crusty Old Gentleman really mean they 
were prisoners? 

He shouted, “Forward march!” and 
kept them marching up and down the 
garden walks. 

They wondered what would happen 
next. 

He asked them to pull up weeds for him 
until their little backs ached, and they 
wondered WHAT WOULD HAPPEN 
NEXT. 

Then, he asked them to sit down in 
three little red chairs under the cherry 
tree and said, 


The Make-Believe Book 


59 


“When I was only eight years old, 

I always did as I was told; 

When mother told me to stay home, 
Far away I did not roam.” 

The children wondered WHAT 
WOULD HAPPEN NEXT! 

To their surprise the Cross, Crusty 
Old Gentleman said, “Forward march!” 
again and led the way back into their 
own garden and asked for the Talkative 
Teddy Bear and Darling Dolls, but when 
he found the children crying, they saw 
he was not a Cross, Crusty Old Gentle¬ 
man at all, for he reached down in the 
depths of his coat pocket and took out 
three shining dimes and put a dime in 
the hand of each child and said, 

“Saturday is like a long vacation; 

I visit you without INVITATION.” 


60 The Make-Believe Book 


Then, they all laughed and became 
friends and had a very merry time, and 
Flora began to sprinkle the flowers again 
and Freddy and Patty set to work to put 
everything in apple-pie order. The Old 
Gentleman said, 

“When you all are through your play, 

Put your garden tools away; 

Pick up, pick up, hear me call, 

You’ll need your flower-pots next fall.” 

After that, the children and the Old 
Gentleman exchanged many calls by real 
invitation, and once, when the Talkative 
Teddy Bear was missing, he appeared 
most unexpectedly in the depths of the 
Old Gentleman’s coat pocket. 

No one seemed to know how he could 
have possibly gotten there. 

The Talkative Teddy Bear said to the 
Darling Dolls, 


The Make-Believe Book 


61 


“A Teddy Bear is very wise; 

To stay at home he really tries, 

But he sees things from his shining 
eyes, 

And sometimes gives you a surprise.” 

Many times after that the telephone 
would ring “Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,” and 
the children would say, “May we go into 
Grandpa Gray’s garden, Mother Pre¬ 
tend?” 

Mother Pretend would say, “I was just 
going to send you over with a basket of 
crisp cookies.” 

So, the Pretend children had a happy 
time together all summer, and the gar¬ 
dens grew merrily in the sunshine and 
showers and Old Grandpa Gray taught 
them this little verse, 

“Flowers in my garden always grow, 
Because I really love them so; 


62 The Make-Believe Book 


Flowers need sunshine and fresh air, 
And they respond to loving care. 

I think that children also grow, 
Because grown people love them so; 
Now among your merry plays, 

Always plan some garden days.” 



n 



























Chapter Five 
A VACATION PLAY 




CHAPTER 5 
A VACATION PLAY 

Did you ever have measles and have to 
stay indoors to-day and to-morrow and 
a good many days beside? You know 
how Flora and Freddy Pretend felt, then, 
one bright spring day, when the sunshine 
was calling “Come and play,” and finally 
they were told they might play on the 
porch but could go no further. 

Little Tommy Tucker, aneighbor, 
came to see them, and as he had already 
had measles, he was allowed to play with 
them. 

They said over and over again, “What 
shall we play?” 

They said, “Our toys are tired of us, 
and we cannot think of a single thing to 
do.” 


65 


66 


The Make-Believe Book 


Tommy Tucker suggested, 

“There is one game I play in sun or rain, 
I like to pretend I am on the train.” 

“On the train?” said Flora and Freddy 
Pretend, in one excited breath. “How 
can we play riding on the train?” 

THEN A SURPRISING THING HAP¬ 
PENED. 

While they sat in a circle on the porch 
floor, they heard a cunning little fairy 
sing. 

They could not find out if it was a fairy 
up in a woodbine or a fairy up in a tree, 
but a merry voice cried, 

“I’m the Make-Believe Fairy, light and 
airy, 

Upon a glad spring day; 

I’m the Make-Believe Fairy, light and 
airy; 

I sing as I fly away. 


The Make-Believe Book 67 


I wave my wand, as a Fairy should, 
Over all children who are happy and 
good.” 

THEN ANOTHER SURPRISING 
THING HAPPENED. 

Freddy began to pretend and said, 

“I am the jolly old engineer; 

The ding-dong of my bell you’ll hear.” 

He ran to get the old-fashioned dinner 
bell that was used to call the children to 
their meals. 

Flora said, 

“I will pack a bag or two, you know, 
For on a journey to-day we’ll go.” 

Mother Pretend was happy to have 
them go on a Make-Believe journey and 
she tucked some packages marked 1-2-3 
in the trusty old travelling-bag. She said, 
“When you are well on your journey 


68 The Make-Believe Book 


open the package marked 1 first, and so 
on.” 

Tommy Tucker said, “If nobody cares, 

I think I will arrange the chairs.” 

It took Flora a long time to get ready 
for the journey for she had to dress her 
Darling Dolls and pack all their clothes 
in her mother’s knitting-bag. Then she 
put on her best hat with the red feather 
upon it, tied on her scarf and cape and 

She even got her big fur muff, 
Because she wanted wraps enough. 

Freddy took his seat in front as engi¬ 
neer and Flora took her seat behind and 
Tommy Tucker said, 

“In a chair behind I’ll take my ease, 

But now I’ll call out Tickets, please.’" 

“Where are we going?” asked Freddy 
and Flora in one breath. 


The Make-Believe Book 69 


Freddy said, “While you decide, I’ll ring 
the bell and get the train started.” 

Flora said, “We must decide first where 
we are going and go and buy our tickets 
at the station, of course.” 

“I will be the ticket agent,” said Tommy 
Tucker. 

He cut some tickets from visiting cards 
and marked the names of places upon 
them, as“ Platteville, Belmont, Madison,” 
and so on. 

The children bought their tickets and 
got on as the conductor cried, “All aboard 
for Platteville.” 

My, what fun they had starting and 
stopping at various stations. 

They took package No. 1 from the 
trusty old travelling-bag, and found it 
to be a time-table giving all the names 


70 T h e M a k e - B e 1 i e v e Book 


of stations between Madison and Platte- 
ville. 

Tommy Tucker had to act the part of 
conductor and brakeman and help Make- 
Believe people on and off the train at 
every station. He even had to pass 
papers and apples and candy which he 
found in package No. 2 in the trusty old 
travelling-bag. 

When they arrived at Platteville, Flora 
said, “Let us visit the Story Lady who 
writes many books.” 

They walked up the porch and the 
Make-Believe Fairy came and closed 
their eyes and said, 

“I will take you by the hand 
To a house like Fairyland.” 

“Patter, patter, patter” they thought 
they heard the sound of their little feet 
going up a long board walk between an 


The Make-Believe Book 71 


avenue of forest trees so tall you could 
hardly see the tops of them. Such won¬ 
derful trees, homes for the birds and 
squirrels, and little screech owls even 
flew down and scolded them. 

They came to a large old-fashioned 
brick house with porches all along one 
side and entered by a long window that 
came to the floor of the porch. 

The Story Lady said, “Dear me, are you 
Fairies or Pixies to take me by surprise?” 

She took the children through the sev¬ 
enteen old-fashioned rooms in the old- 
fashioned brick house and she stopped 
and showed them the old-fashioned fire¬ 
places so large and wide. 

She showed them many old-fashioned 
things. 

She showed them a plate from Wales 
that was 500 years old. She showed them 
a very old piano and violin. 


72 The Make-Believe Book 

She showed them two charming china 
manikins that sat on the table side by 
side and nodded their heads in greeting. 

She showed them a tiny barometer 
shaped like a house where an old lady and 
gentleman, no longer than your little 
finger, lived. The old lady came out hold¬ 
ing an open umbrella when it was going 
to rain and the old gentleman came out 
holding a closed umbrella on sunny days. 

She showed them a set of wooden 
shelves. 

On the top shelf lay Frolic, the cat, 
asleep on his cushion. On the next shelf 
were his cup and saucer, and on the lower 
shelf were his playthings. These shelves 
were called “The Cat House.” 

There were five and twenty dolls in the 
house, too, and a great black dog with a 
silver collar named “Guess.” It was al- 


The Make-Believe Book 73 

ways fun to make visitors guess the dog’s 
name. 

The Story Lady gave them a tea-party 
on the long friendly porch and they 
laughed at her queer dishes and queer 
names for everything. 

The meal was pushed out on “Silent 
Sue,” the tray wagon. The pepper and 
salt were figures of little people with 
holes in their hats for the salt and pepper 
to come out of. 

Just as they sat down they heard music. 

They were sitting in musical chairs 
brought all the way from Switzerland. 

A music box in each chair played a tune. 

Just as the Story Lady was beginning 
to tell the children a story, the Make-Be¬ 
lieve Fairy whisked them away, saying, 


74 The Make-Believe Book 


“The Story Lady is very shy; 

She calls to every one ‘good bye.’ 
Please don’t ask me to explain, 

But go back riding on the train.” 

The children woke with a start on their 
own sunny porch and said, “What a won¬ 
derful dream!” 

They were sitting in their chairs and 
they made-believe they were riding a- 
way, away, away. 

The Make-Believe Fairy said, 

“Look now, you have a pleasant view; 

Go on to the land we call Bamboo.” 

Freddy laughed until he almost fell off 
his seat for he saw the porch shade was 
made of Bamboo sure enough, but he 
never dreamed what an interesting place 
the Land of Bamboo was until they ar- 


The Make-Believe Book 


75 


rived in Africa and saw Bamboo all about 
them, 30 feet high, forming a high fence. 

My! what a peculiar country they were 
in! A very black African offered them a 
drink of water in a vessel made of Bam¬ 
boo stem which was hollow. He gave each 
child a Bamboo cane and said Bamboo 
was used for many purposes such as 
building bridges and houses and paper¬ 
making. He said that Bamboo grows 
rapidly and is useful to man. From the 
Land of Bamboo the children journeyed 
rapidly homeward. 

While Flora fell asleep on the way, 
Freddy and Tommy said, “We are so 
hungry.” 

The Make-Believe Fairy said, “Dear me, 
Why don’t you open package 3?” 

The children opened the trusty old 
travelling-bag and to their surprise and 


76 The Make-Believe Book 

delight found a fine lunch neatly packed 
in three shoe-boxes quite suitable for use 
on the train. 

They enjoyed their lunch, you may be 
sure. 

Just as they thought their Make- Be¬ 
lieve journey was over, the Make- Be¬ 
lieve Fairy called, 

“I really do not understand 
Why you don’t stop at Shadow Land.” 

At this, the children laughed merrily 
for their chairs cast bold, big shadows on 
the floor. 

The trusty old travelling-bag cast a 
bold, big shadow also on the floor. 

Just for the fun of it, the children 
walked up and down and each one cast 
a bold, big shadow. 


The Make-Believe Book 77 


The shadows danced up and down and 
Freddy’s shadow found a shadowy voice 
and cried, 

“Your shadow likes to run about, 
Quite happy when the sun is out.” 

Flora’s shadow danced and sang, 

“Your shadow is happy here to-day; 

I’ll join you in a Make-Believe play.” 

Tommy Tucker danced about so much 
nis shadow had hard work to keep up with 
him. 

The Shadow cried, 

“We hope all children understand 
We like to play in Shadow Land; 

On the carpet or the wall, 

You’ll often see a shadow fall, 

But though we often have to fall, 

It does not hurt us now at all. 
Shadow folks are really funny; 
They do not cost a cent of money.” 


78 The Make-Believe Book 


The children stayed so long- in Shadow 
Land that they fell asleep again for they 
were tired after their journey to many 
lands. 

The honeysuckle vine that peeped in 
at them said, “You did not give me a 
chance to tell you of the robin’s nest I 
hold or about the night moth that visits 
me, or the little tiny, humming bird.” 

The children woke and said, 

“To-morrow let’s travel all over again, 
Travel in sunshine or in rain; 
To-morrow let’s travel and we will ex¬ 
plain, 

It’s fun to go riding on the train.” 

The happy but totally tired little trav¬ 
ellers journeyed off to bed, Freddy still 
ringing his bell and shouting, 

“Soon will nod each sleepy head; 

We travel to the Land of Bed.” 







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Chapter Six 

A CIRCUS DAY PLAY 


















CHAPTER 6 

A CIRCUS DAY PLAY 

What shall we play? What shall we play? 
Why not have a big 1 circus day? 

One summer day Patty Pretend said to 
Grandpa Gray, as they were walking 
down the street together, “We hardly 
know what kind of a Make-Believe 
Play to have today.” Grandpa Gray re¬ 
plied, “When I was a boy, we liked best 
of all to play CIRCUS, and we practiced 
our tricks for days and days. We had 
wonderful acrobats, of course.” 

This talk set Patty Pretend to thinking 
and she met Flora and Freddy Pretend 
and Johnny Jump-Up, and Tommy Tuck¬ 
er, and Curly-Locks, and she asked how 
many of them would like to play CIRCUS. 

81 


82 The Make-Believe Book 

One and all agreed they would 
like to go down to the orchard and prac¬ 
tice their tricks, while Patty Pretend said, 

“I am going to get ready right away now, 
So I will dress up Brother Bow-Wow.” 

She had a great time catching him, 
and she made a white paper collar and put 
it round his neck. 

Brother Bow-Wow ran away so much 
she tied him to a stake and he said, in dog 
language, 

“I am part of the Circus now, anyhow; 

I am dear little Brother Bow-Wow.” 

Flora and Freddy caught Mrs. Meow 
and after trying many times they put a 
doll dress on that amiable cat, and per¬ 
suaded her to jump up on a barrel and do 
all the tricks she knew. 

Johnny Jump-Up was the first real per¬ 
former. He never liked really to sit still 


The Make-Believe Book 


83 


a minute, and he could walk on his hands, 
and turn a backward spring, and stand on 
one hand and foot, and do most remark¬ 
able things. 

Curly-Locks thought she could do the 
same tricks and was very good-natured 
when she fell over on her back with her 
fat little legs in the air. She kept on try¬ 
ing and was sure she would become a 
famous tumbler some day. 

Johnny Jump-Up did not mind the 
patch on his trousers for he thought it 
only made him look more like a clown. 

In turn, one after another, the chil¬ 
dren tried to imitate him. 

To make it seem more like a real Circus 
Grandpa Gray said, 

“You forgot one thing, I’m afraid; 

You ought to have a Circus parade.” 


84 The Make-Believe Book 


The children clapped their hands and 
said, 

“The Circus show will be delayed, 

But we will have a big parade.” 

Johnny Jump-Up got hold of the old 
dinner bell and was the leader, of course. 

Up and down the meadow they went 
with Brother Bow-Wow and Mrs. Meow 
at their heels. 

When the Big Parade was over, they 
began to practice their tricks and THE 
FIRST SURPRISING THING HAP¬ 
PENED. 

A big, fat funny man came in sight. 

Patty Pretend said, 

“If he should laugh instead of frown, 

He would look like a Circus Clown.” 


The Make-Believe Book 


85 


Nearer, and nearer the funny man 
came. 

Flora said, 

“He looks like a Clown as I suppose, 

He wears such funny striped clothes.” 

Freddy said, 

“He looks so jolly round and fat; 

He wears a funny pointed hat.” 

At that very minute the big, fat, funny 
man saw the children. 

Then THE SECOND SURPRISING 
THING HAPPENED! 

The big, fat, funny man took off his 
pointed hat and said, 

“For apples I have looked all over town; 
I am an apple-hungry Circus Clown.” 

Then, just by way of variety, he stood 
on his head. 


86 TheMake-Believe Book 


“Circus Clown,” exclaimed all the chil¬ 
dren. 

They scrambled up the tree and shook 
its branches and down, down, down fell 
rosy red apples until the Clown had his 
pointed hat full. 

He did many Clownish tricks and sang, 

“Oh ho, the Clown, the jolly Clown! 

Oh ho, the Clown has come to town; 

He wears a comical striped gown, 

Oh ho, the Clown, the jolly Clown.” 

He waved his hand when he said good 
bye. 

Then THE THIRD SURPRISING 
THING HAPPENED. 

He stopped and called, 

“I really almost forgot, you know, 

To give you tickets to the show.” 


The Make-Believe Book 


87 


He took out six tickets, seven tickets, 
eight tickets, nine tickets, and tossed 
them down so the cnildren scrambled to 
get them. 

There were enough tickets for all the 
children and Grandpa Gray and Mother 
and Father Pretend. 

The children ran indoors to tell their 
good fortune and read their tickets which 
said, “Admit one, Far-Away Town.” 

“How will we get there?” asked Father 
and Mother Pretend. 

Then THE NEXT SURPRISING 
THING HAPPENED! 

Grandpa Gray said, “I have a big farm 
wagon and Old Dobbin will drive us all 
to town.” 

Did you ever squeeze into the bottom 
of a farm wagon and sit snugly side by 
side? 


88 The Make-Believe Book 


They had a jolly ride, you may be sure, 
to Far-Away Town. 

They took the wrong 1 road first and the 
long road next and the short, east road 
by and by. 

“Will we never get there?” asked Patty 
Pretend. 

“I see the tents,” shouted JohnnyJump- 
Up. “I see the outdoor show.” 

Sure enough, the tents came in view. 

Sure enough, the lady with the red 
parasol was walking the tight rope. 

They soon tied Old Dobbin and with 
their tickets clasped tightly in their 
hands went into the wonderful big Cir¬ 
cus tent. 

They saw rows and rows of people and 
rings and rings for the performers. 


The Make-Believe Book 89 


The band began to play but the Circus 
did not begin. 

They waited, and waited, but still the 
Circus did not begin. 

By and by the funny, fat, Circus Clown 
came out and began to walk slowly a- 
round the tent. 

Suddenly, without a particle of warn¬ 
ing, he saw Johnny Jump-Up and went 
right up to him, and whispered in his ear 
and walked off with him. 

Then the band played louder and 
louder and the horses pranced into the 
ring. 

The elephants performed and the seals 
barked and everything was perfectly 
splendid. 

All this time the Pretend family won¬ 
dered what had become of Johnny Jump- 
Up. 


90 The Make-Believe Book 

Many Clowns came out but they looked 
eagerly for the funny, fat Clown who 
had given them their tickets. 

By and by out he came and a cute little 
fellow with him, dressed in red and yel¬ 
low and looking like him, only smaller in 
every way. 

Everything the big fat Clown did the 
little Clown tried to imitate. Sometimes 
he succeeded and sometimes he failed, 
and it was so funny to watch them both 
that there were shouts and shouts of 
laughter. 

The big, fat, funny Clown jumped 
through a hoop and the little, fat, funny 
Clown tried to do the same thing, and he 
caught and tore his Clown suit, and a 
familiar patch showed on his trousers 
underneath. 

“Johnny Jump-Up,” shouted the whole 
Pretend family in one breath, and the 


The Make-Believe Book 91 


whole audience cheered and cheered. 

The big, fat, funny Clown sang this 
song to the tune of “Yankee Doodle,” 

1st verse 

“In Circus plays now every day, 

I tell you what we’ll do, Sir; 

We’ll keep some secrets though we say 
We’ll practice some tricks new, Sir. 

Chorus. 

Ha, ha ha, the Circus Clown, 

Funny, funny fellow, 

Ha, ha, ha, the Circus Clown, 

Dressed in red and yellow.” 

The fat little Clown sang the second 
verse of the song. 

2nd verse 

“Our Circus plays now every day 
Are very, very funny, 


92 The Make-Believe Book 

But I wish, without delay, 

We all could get our money.” 

The Big, Fat, Jolly, Old Clown took a 
crisp, crackling five-dollar bill from his 
striped pocket and gave it to the little 
Clown in full view of the people. 

They danced the most Clownish dance 
you ever saw round and round the Circus 
Ring. 

Finally the Circus was over and the 
Pretend family said, “Where is Johnny 
Jump-Up? We cannot start to ride home 
without Johnny Jump-Up!” 

Just then Freddy and Flora Pretend 
shouted, “Here he comes, here he comes.” 

He came waving a crisp, crackling five- 
dollar bill and carrying a nice, neat 
bundle which he explained contained his 
new Clown suit, for he had been the little, 
fat Clown in the ring, of course! 


The Make-Believe Book 93 


The children cried, 

“Hurrah! hurrah! what a wonderful 
thing! 

You were once a Clown in a Circus 
Ring.” 

They asked him how he was going to 
spend his crisp, crackling, five-dollar bill. 

It took him two hours to decide how to 
spend the money and by that time they 
had arrived home. 

He said, 

“We will have a summer of merriment; 
I am going to buy a Circus tent.” 

Grandpa Gray said, 

“Circus tent will cost much money; 

How are you going to earn it, sonny?” 
Mother Pretend said, 

“I’ll loan you some blankets for a day, 


94 The Make-Believe Book 


You can make a wonderful tent that 
way. 

Save a penny and save a dime, 

You’ll want your money another time.” 

So it was that Johnny Jump-Up went 
off waving his crisp, crackling, five-dol- 
lar bill, saying, 

“I am off and away, off and away, 
Hurrah! hurrah for our Circus day.” 














































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I 
















Chapter Seven 

AN INDIAN PLAY 




















CHAPTER 7 

AN INDIAN PLAY 

Said Johnny Jump-Up one sunshiny 
day, 

“Come, let us give a real Indian Play.” 

Patty Pretend asked, “What are you 
going to do with your crisp, crackling, 
five-dollar bill?” 

Freddy and Flora said, 

“Your circus tricks were very funny; 
Tell us, how will you spend your money?” 

Johnny Jump-Up said, “I have not de¬ 
cided yet how I will spend my money, 
but Mother Pretend said she would lend 
us blankets, so let us use them and begin 
a real Indian Play.” 

“First of all, we need a hatchet to drive 
stakes in the ground.” 


97 


98 The Make-Believe Book 


Freddy said, “I have found an old 
Indian hatchet and we will begin to drive 
the stakes in at once.” 

They soon had the stakes and three 
poles to form the frame-work of a tent, 
and they draped two blankets round the 
poles and declared they had a real wig¬ 
wam'. 

They left one end of the wigwam open. 

Johnny Jump-Up said, “Now, we will 
all have Indian names. I am Chief Pipe- 
Lighter, and Freddy, you are Chief Many- 
Feathers, and Flora, you are Squaw Pine 
Cone; Patty, you are Squaw Never- Tire. 
My dog I will call Lone Dog, and he is very 
wise. My little Papoose is called Gray 
Wolf.” 

At this very minute the little Papoose, 
who was really Little Me-Too, began to 
cry and say, “I will not be called ‘Gray 


The Make-Believe Book 99 


Wolf.’ I am afraid I may fall out of my 
basket, boo-hoo.” 

Chief Pipe-Lighter lighted a Peace 
Pipe and blew a wreath of smoke from it. 
He said, “I smoke the Peace-Pipe; now 
we will have peace in the wigwam, and 
outside the wigwam and with every tribe 
near us.” 

He said, “While I smoke, and smoke, 
and smoke I will tell you an Indian tale 
but you may call it a pipe dream.” 

Little Me-Too cried so hard they had to 
put her in the wigwam, then Chief Pipe- 
Lighter began his story of the Wee, Wee 
Child. 

He said, “My grandfather told me this 
story,” (which was a way Indians had of 
beginning a story when it was not a true 
story but only a fairy tale.) 

“My grandfather told me once, long 
ago, that a woman had a Wee, Wee Child 


100 The Make-Believe Book 

no longer than your hand. His father 
was so disappointed in his size that he set 
him in a hole in a hollow tree and forgot 
all about him. His brother, who was a 
full-sized boy, did not forget him, how¬ 
ever. Every day he saved a little of his 
soup and bear meat and took it to the 
little fellow in the hollow tree. 

“The Wee, Wee Child sometimes went 
home in his brother’s coat pocket. 

“One evening the father said, ‘I see the 
tracks of Wee, Wee feet. Who comes in¬ 
to my house with Wee, Wee feet?’ 

“The big boy answered, ‘It is my Wee, 
Wee Brother but he is so little, he is 
afraid of your great big voice and will 
not come home while you are here.’ 

“The father said, ‘I will go and catch 
my Wee, Wee Child.’ 


The Make-Believe Book 101 


The Wee, Wee Child was glad then to 
stay at home instead of living in the hol¬ 
low tree. 

“One day the father said, ‘Do not go to 
to the Land of Setting Sun, while I am a- 
way; you might come to harm.’ 

“As soon as the father had gone, the 
Wee, Wee Child said, ‘I want to go to the 
Land of Setting Sun,’ but his brother 
would not go with him. 

“The Wee, Wee Child came to the coun¬ 
try of the Giants known as Stone Coats. 
Now, Chief Stone Coat had a dog as tall 
as a deer, and he was a real giant. 

“He caught him after trying many 
times, for the little fellow was so shy. 

“Chief Stone Coat had just caught and 
killed two bears so he took them home 
and said to the Wee, Wee Child who sat 


102 The Make-Believe Book 


upon his hat, ‘You eat one bear before I 
eat the other or I will eat you/ 

“Now the Wee, Wee Child was so clever 
that he took two pieces of bear meat and 
went out and threw them into the lake, 
and he took two more pieces of meat and 
threw them into the lake and so on. By 
and by he said, ‘I have eaten all my bear 
meat/ 

“Stone Coat saw he had out-witted him 
so he said to the Wee, Wee Child, ‘I will 
not eat you. I will give you my dog in¬ 
stead, and you can ride home upon him/ 

“So the Wee, Wee Child rode home on 
the dog as big as a deer, but he said when 
he arrived home and his father had come 
back, ‘Father, when you tell me not to 
go away again, I will not go, for truly 
Stone Coat wanted to kill and eat me/ 

“The Wee, Wee Child rode all about the 
camp on the dog as big as a deer, and 


The Make-Believe Book 103 


people said, ‘He has met Stone Coat in 
the Land of Setting Sun.’ ” 

Whether Lone Dog did not like to hear 
about a dog as big as a deer or not the 
children did not know, but he began to 
howl and bark and would not be still un¬ 
til Squaw Pine Cone gave him a bone, 
then she tied on her moccasins saying, 
“I think I will tell a Moccasin Tale, and 
some one else may tell a Wigwam Tale, 
or a Tale of Indian Feathers.” 

Squaw Pine Cone began her moccasin 
story. She said, 

“This is a story I have read. ‘Once, long 
ago, a man went out to walk in the snow. 
He saw another man coming toward him. 

“He was afraid, for the man coming to¬ 
ward him was said to be a Man-Eater. 
His Indian name was Ongwe las. He was 
said to eat people whenever he liked. 


104 The Make-Believe Book 


“The man ran away as fast as he could 
but found he was going round and round 
in a circle and was afraid he would be 
caught, so he took off his moccasins and 
said to them this magic verse, 

‘Run on ahead, run on ahead, 

And I will just pretend I’m dead.’ 

“The moccasins ran on ahead and when 
Ongwe las came up to the man, he found 
the man had changed himself into a rab¬ 
bit, but he still thought he would find the 
man so he ran on and said to the moc¬ 
casins, ‘I am very angry; I will just lie 
in wait and catch the man yet.’ 

“The man got tired being a rabbit so 
he changed himself back into a man and 
sat down smoking a pipe. As he sat on a 
log Ongwe las came by and said, ‘Did you 
see a man go by here?’ 

“The man shook his head. 


The Make-Believe Book 105 


“Ongwe las said, ‘Perhaps you are the 
man! Perhaps you are the man I am 
looking for!’ 

“The man was afraid so he changed 
himself quickly into a tree and sent his 
moccasins on ahead of him again so On- 
gwe las had to run away, away, away 
again and he only found the moccasins 
in the end. 

“When the man was tired of being a 
tree he became a man again, but he had 
lost his moccasins and had to buy himself 
a new pair.” 

“Some people say this same story is 
told about a fox and a rabbit, and that 
there never was a man-eater, but that the 
fox tries to catch little animals by his 
cunning.” 

Pipe-Lighter said “That is a fine story. 
Perhaps Freddy will come now and tell 
us a Bow and Arrow Tale.” 


106 The Make-Believe Book 


Freddy came out of the wigwam and 
said, “Once, Iagoo, the great Indian 
Story Teller made a bow and arrow. He 
said, T expect an Indian boy and girl to 
come to visit me while I am away. I will 
leave the bow and arrow in the wigwam 
and I will also leave a string of beads. If 
I find the bow and arrow are gone I will 
know the boy paid me a visit; if the string 
of beads is gone I will know that the girl 
came.’ 

“Iagoo had a great laugh when he got 
back to his wigwam for both the bow and 
arrow and the beads were gone. 

“He said, ‘The boy and girl both visited 
me.’ ” 

Flora Pretend said, “I am going to put 
on my headdress and make a wish.” 

Patty Pretend said, “Do not make what 
the Indians call ‘a white wish.’ They say 


The Make-Believe Book 107 


when we wish for anything impossible 
we make ‘a white wish.’ 

Flora made a wish as she stroked the 
red feathers and white feathers and blue 
feathers, and like a true Indian she would 
not tell what her wish was, but she prom¬ 
ised to tell by and by if it came true. 

Johnny Jump-Up said, “I will tell an¬ 
other Pipe Dream Story. My grand¬ 
father said once, when he smoked his 
pipe, Little Listened ran into the wig¬ 
wam and said, ‘Oh, grandfather, I heard 
a noise like this.’ He put his hands to 
his mouth and imitated the wind blowing. 

“Another day he ran in and said, ‘I 
heard a noise like this.’ He made a sound 
like the brook flowing over pebbles. 

“Another day he said, ‘I have heard a 
noise like this,’ and he imitated the song 
of a robin. 


108 The Make-Believe Book 


“The boy said, ‘What do all these noises 
mean?’ 

“The old grandfather was very wise. 
He said, ‘All the noises mean that spring 
is coming.’ 

“Next day it was warm and bright. 
Spring had come.” 

Patty Pretend had closed the door of 
the wigwam while the last story was told. 
She had been gone some time. When 
she returned her eyes were dancing. She 
said, 

“I wish for a table, as you see, 

In our wigwam under the tree; 

I wish for apples and everything nice; 
I wish for a feast spread in a trice.” 

She opened the wigwam door and 
there, sure enough, was a little table 
spread with good things to eat. 


The Make-Believe Book 109 


The children did not know how the 
feast got there but they were sure some 
Indian magic must have been used. 

They had a fine feast and said, “We 
will have Indian Plays often. We will 
read and act Indian Tales and once in a 
while we will play we are real Indians in 
the woods.” 

Mother Pretend said, 

“I see you are cozy as can be, 

But return the blankets some time to 
me.” 

This made the children remember they 
had been living in a make-believe world 
and they laughed when they took down 
the wigwam and sang, 

“We have had such happy days; 

Hurrah, hurrah, for Indian plays!” 





































I 



































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Chapter Eight 

A MAKE-BELIEVE STORE 
















♦ 











CHAPTER 8 

A MAKE-BELIEVE STORE 

Did you ever have a crisp, crackling 1 , 
five-dollar bill and not know just how to 
spend it? 

Johnny Jump-Up had a crisp, crack¬ 
ling five-dollar bill in his pocket and 
every day he said, 

“It really does seem very funny 
That I should have such lots of money.” 

He saw some fine lemons at the gro¬ 
cery store and said to himself he had 
never had enough lemonade in all his life, 
so he bought two dozen lemons and the 
grocer said, 

“You never purchased so many before; 
Are you going to set up a GROCERY 
STORE?” 


113 


114 The Make-Believe Book 


Johnny Jump-Up laughed and shook 
his head and went hoppety-skip along. 
He carried a big market basket on his 
arm. 

He stopped at another store and 
bought some sugar and the clerk said, 

“Shall I sell you two or three pounds or 
more? 

Are you going to set up a GROCERY 
STORE?” 

Johnny Jump-Up laughed and shook 
his head and went hoppety-skip along 
again. It was such fun to have money 
to spend entirely as he pleased. 

He went on and saw some cookies. He 
believed he had never had enough cook¬ 
ies to eat in his whole life so he bought 
six dozen cookies, and the clerk looked 
very wise and said, 

“I know now, as you go out the door, 


The Make-Believe Book 115 


You are going to open a GROCERY 
STORE.” 

Johnny Jump-Up laughed again. 

As he went by the ten cent store he saw 
some rosy red apples and said, “I really 
believe I never had enough red apples in 
all my life.” He bought fifty cents worth 
of apples and the clerk said, 

“The taste of apples you must adore; 

Are you going to open a GROCERY 
STORE?” 

Now, if you were asked by every per¬ 
son you met if you were going to open a 
GROCERY STORE, what would you do? 

Johnny Jump-Up sat down to think. 

He sat still some time. 

He said, “I have lemons and sugar and 
cookies and apples. Of course, I can open 
a store! I can borrow a table and chair 


116 The Make-Believe Book 

and make some signs and open a TEN 
CENT STORE.” 

Brother Bow-Wow came racing down 
the path to meet him. 

Johnny Jump-Up never sat down very 
long so up he got and ran home, shout¬ 
ing, 

“If you have a penny, a dime or more, 
Come over and visit my ten cent store.” 

He sat down to make his signs. 

You will see by the picture he could 
not spell very well. He could not make 
change very well either. 

He said, as he sat in his little wooden 
chair by his little wooden box that served 
as a table, 

“I hope you’ll come to my ten cent store; 
Don’t stop to rap, but open the door; 


The Make-Believe Book 117 


Of good things I have to sell very many; 

Some things are a dime and some a 
penny.” 

As Mother Pretend peeped in the door 
Brother Bow-Wow slipped in. She said 
to Johnny Jump-Up, “I wonder who your 
first customer will be?” 

Johnny Jump-Up put the foot-ball 
under the counter with the mechanical 
duck and the Woolly Lamb who said 
“Bah, Bah” when you pressed his neck. 

Johnny Jump-Up said, 

“If nobody comes what will I do? 

I don’t like to sit still, that is very true.” 

Just then the telephone rang, “tinkle, 
tinkle, tinkle,” and a voice said, “I am 
Patty Pretend. Please send me a dozen 
cookies and ten cents worth of apples.” 


118 The Make-Believe Book 


Just then there was a knock at the door 
and Flora Pretend and Little Me-Too 
came shyly in. 

Flora had a big market basket on her 
arm and she held a little wee basket for 
Little Me-Too. 

The little basket had five and twenty 
pennies in it and she was afraid that 
Little Me-Too would spill them out. 

Flora said, “I want some apples,” and 
Little Me-Too cried “Me-Too, Me-Too.” 
She stood on tip-toe to count out a hand¬ 
ful of pennies. 

After the children had gone out Johnny 
Jump-Up said, “It is lonesome to keep 
this store. What shall I do to attract 
customers?” 

“How very stupid, indeed, you really are,” 
Said the jug and the glass and the cookie 
jar. 























The Make-Believe Book 119 


The Jug suggested that Johnny Jump- 
Up call all the children together and that 
they form a parade and carry posters to 
advertise the store. 

This they did, and when they had a 
large crowd of customers together 
Johnny Jump-Up remembered that he 
had only two apples and four cookies and 
very little lemonade left, so he did not 
know what to do to carry on the store. 

The Glass tinkled and the Cookie Jar 
suggested that he telephone good Old 
Mother Goose and tell her of his troubles. 

No sooner said than done, and Old 
Mother Goose replied, 

"I’ll talk about you to the Queen of 
Hearts; 

I am sure she’ll send you splendid 
tarts; 

And Little Jack Horner with his pie 

Will come to your store, too, by and by. 


120 The Make-Believe Book 


I will send meat by Jack Sprat and his 
wife 

Who never agreed in all their life. 

And Peter, Peter, Pumpkin-Eater, 

Will bring pumpkin pies, nothing 
sweeter.” 

Hot Cross Buns and many things more 
Old Mother Goose sent to the ten cent 
store. 

All this was a wonderful success. 

The Old Woman who lived in the Shoe 
came to buy and the Crooked Man and 
Old Mother Hubbard, and a troop of 
happy children came from Primrose Hill. 
They said, 

“We never have had so much fun before; 
We are off and away to the ten cent 
store.” 

Late that night Mother Pretend said to 
Johnny Jump-Up, “What are you going 


The Make-Believe Book 121 


to do with all the money you made Play¬ 
ing Store?” 

He answered, “I will put it in my vest 
pocket, and trousers pocket, and over¬ 
coat pocket, and I will hear the pennies 
‘jingle, jingle, jingle.’ ” 

All would have gone well I am sure if 
a Make-Believe Peddler had not come to 
town. 

He blew a pipe like the Pied-Piper and 
out came the children, Big Children, 
Little Children, Middle-Sized Children, 
Children of all shapes and sizes, and 
they followed, for he piped and sang, 

“Who is so jolly, heigho, heigho, 

As a wonderful Peddler, I know, I 
I know; 

So down to the hollow, down to the 
hollow, 

Come on, come on, please follow, fol¬ 
low!” 


122 The Make-Believe Book 

All the children followed the Make- 
Believe Peddler and Johnny Jump-Up 
spilled pennies, and pennies, and pennies, 
and by the time he had followed the 
Make-Believe Peddler over hill and dale 
and gotten home again, he had not a 
single penny left. 

Mother Pretend said, when she saw 
tears spring up into Johnny Jump-Up’s 
eyes, “Just think what a pleasant sur¬ 
prise it will be for children to find all the 
pennies you spilled,” and Father Pretend 
said, “Let us go to your Make-Believe 
Store, and I will give you a new penny 
for every word you SPELLED WRONG 
on your signs.” 

Father Pretend was SO FUNNY. 

They sat down and pretended to order 
things for a real store, and after they 
had made a list of everything they could 
think of, 


The Make-Believe Book 123 


Said the great big barrel of flour, 

“I have waited for you half an hour.” 

“Potatoes to eat, potatoes to eat, 
White potatoes, potatoes sweet!” 

So it went on until a sweet voice cried, 

“For the children order a treat, 

Some candy sweet, before we meet.” 

Next day Johnny Jump-Up went out 
and cried, “Oh, oh, oh!” 

All the children gathered round him 
and cried, “Oh, oh, oh!” 

Why do you suppose they were so ex¬ 
cited? 

There, in the back yard, was a big piano 
box with rows and rows of shelves in it 
and a wooden counter. 


It was a real little store! 


124 The Make-Believe Book 


The children saved their pennies for 
days and days and had many happy hours 
playing store. 

Johnny Jump-Up taught them a song 
which they sang all the way home, to 
the tune of “Lightly Row.” 

“Play store, play store, 

Never was such fun before, 

Playing store, playing store, 
Playing every day. 

With a penny or a dime, 

We can have a happy time; 

Come and play, come and play, 

Sell and give away.” 

The children said at the close of that 
happy day, “We wonder what Make-Be¬ 
lieve Play we will have to-morrow.” 


Chapter Nine 

MAKE-BELIEVE PLAYING 
HOUSE 


CHAPTER 9 

MAKE-BELIEVE PLAYING HOUSE 

One day Flora Pretend had the pain¬ 
ful pouts. She stuck out her lips and 
cried, “On a rainy Saturday there is no 
fun for any one.” 

She pouted until it was really painful 
to look at her. 

Freddy Pretend had the doleful 
dumps the very same day. 

He looked so sad that the raindrops 
falling- on the window-pane called, 

“Oh Freddy Pretend, Freddy Pretend, 

You look as though the world would end; 

Have you lost every single friend? 

Freddy Pretend, Freddy Pretend.” 


127 


128 The Make-Believe Book 


Freddy said, “I just can’t stand it to 
play indoors or work indoors on Satur¬ 
day, nothing- in the way of fun in sight 
for any of us. 

The Whistling Wind said to Flora Pre¬ 
tend, 

“If you pout, without a doubt, 

You can’t let the smiles come out!” 

Flora Pretend then smiled a little bit 
in spite of herself and said, “Come on, 
Freddy, let’s Make Believe we are keep¬ 
ing house like real grown up people.” 

Now, Freddy Pretend still had the dole¬ 
ful dumps so hard he frowned and said, 
“It is all right for girls to Make-Believe 
but I think it is silly for a boy to Pretend 
all the time.” 

Then THE MOST AMAZING THING 
HAPPENED! 


The Make-Believe Book 129 


A little Fairy called Grumpy Grouch 
sprang out of the fire-place and said, “Ha, 
ha, ha! Now I will have fun, for you are 
the very boy and girl I am looking for. 
You are both sad and cross, ha, ha, ha! 
Let us all be unhappy together.” 

“What a terrible Fairy you are,” cried 
Flora Pretend. “I will not let you stay 
in this house another minute!” 

Freddy Pretend took hold of Grumpy 
Grouch by his tiny coat-tails and put him 
out in the rain . 

Said Grumpy Grouch, “I always complain 
Alike in sunshine and in rain.” 

“There,” cried Flora, “I hope there are 
no more Fairies like Grumpy Grouch in 
our old chimney.” 

Just then a merry voice cried, 


130 The Make-Believe Book 


“I’m the Make-Believe Fairy 
So light and so airy; 

I sing like a canary; 

I’m the Make-Believe Fairy.” 

Freddy Pretend still had a little of the 
doleful dumps left, so he said crossly, “I 
am so tired playing Make-Believe I would 
much rather do some real things.” 

The Make-Believe Fairy replied, “Pull 
up your little red rocking-chair by the fire 
place and I will give you some Make-Be¬ 
lieve ear trumpets and you will hear sur¬ 
prising things.” 

“Can we listen in?” said Freddy, think¬ 
ing of radio. 

The Make-Believe Fairy put some won¬ 
derful things on their ears, and to their 
surprise the children found every thing 
in the room had a voice. 

Said the Fold-Away Table, “If I am able, 
A story I will relate; 


The Make-Believe Book 131 


Said the Fold-Away Table, “If I am able, 
I will talk to the China Plate.” 

At that, the blue china plates on the 
plate rack began to tremble with excite¬ 
ment. 

“Don’t fall down, have a care,” 

Said the stiff, old Straight-Backed 
Chair. 

The Ironing-Board rudely interrupted, 

“You are proud and haughty, too, 

But remember I am as useful as you.” 

The little Doll’s Cradle said, “I can sing 
pretty songs.” 

It sang, 

“Rocking, rocking to and fro, 

Very quiet keep, 

Rocking, rocking to and fro, 

Off to the Land of Sleep.” 


132 The Make- Believe Book 

The children never knew whether this 
song made them sleepy or not, but they 
began to rock to and fro, to and fro, in 
their little red rocking-chairs by the fire, 
and soon they heard and saw such curi¬ 
ous things that they thought they were 
in Fairyland.” 

The Table began to dance and sing and 
talk. It said, “Ah, ha! I am very old but 
active yet. I look new to you because I 
am well varnished, but I have many se¬ 
crets to keep. You children think you 
can dance well on two legs. Just see me 
dance on four!” 

My! it was wonderful to see the sober 
old Table dance and spin about. 

Suddenly it stood still and said, 

“If you think my actions funny, 

Tell me, what is table money?” 

The- children shook their heads as the 
Table continued, “Now, if I went to 


The Make-Believe Book 133 


school, I would try to learn SOME 
THINGS. I learned a great deal because 
I held an encyclopedia once for a whole 
week. While I had this honor, I learned 
the meaning of one word a day. Just 
think, in a year at that rate I could learn 
the meaning of 365 words!” 

The Table looked hard at Flora and 
said, 

“Really, I think it very queer, 

You cannot answer questions, dear.” 

Then the Table said, “Table money is 
money given to army and navy officers 
to help them be hospitable when neces¬ 
sary. I suppose you could not tell me 
what Lunar Tables are either. Really, 
for bright children you know very little. 

I may tell you pretty soon, 

That Lunar Tables tell of the Moon!” 


134 The Make-Believe Book 


In this remarkable room at this re¬ 
markable hour the Bird Cage began to 
talk and said, 

“I have another story to tell, 

But really, I never learned it well; 

I feel really light and airy, 

Since the cat stole the canary; 

But Mrs. Meow likes to play 
At catching flies in my cage to-day; 
As soon as the wires in this cage are 
mended. 

I think my story will be ended.” 

The China Plates began to rattle in 
quite an alarming manner and one of 
them said, 

“Do you know, each Willow Plate 
Has a story to relate?” 

“Do you know that once, long ago, Ko- 
ong Shee, a Chinese girl, loved Chang, 
who worked for her father? For this 































































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The Make Believe Book 135 


she was kept in prison in a house shown 
on the plate. The house overlooks the 
lake. She wrote poems about the water 
and the willow trees and the bridges she 
saw from her prison window. 

“How she longed to escape! 

“Chang wrote messages and sent them 
out on the water inside a cocoanut shell. 
When the tide rose in the lake the cocoa- 
nut shell floated in the window. She re¬ 
plied, sending messages in a walnut shell. 
She begged her lover to rescue her. 

“By and by he rescued her and the two 
escaped over the bridge though the girl’s 
father followed them. 

“The happy pair escaped in a boat and 
lived in a little house safely for some 
time, and when their house was burned 
at last their spirits escaped in the form 
of two doves. You see the whole story 
printed in pictures on the plate!” 


136 The Make-Believe B’ook 


The Plate Rack said, 

“That’s the finest story you’ve told me 
yet; 

The Willow Plate story I’ll not forget.” 

Flora Pretend said, “When I eat any¬ 
thing now off a Willow Plate, I will think 
of these Chinese Lovers.” 

There is no telling what other tales the 
Furniture would have told if Brother 
Bow-Wow had not gotten into a fight 
outside. 

He barked so furiously that the chil¬ 
dren rushed to the door and rescued him. 
As it was, he had to have his ears washed 
up and neatly bound in a cloth. 

Flora suggested that they put him in 
the Doll’s cradle and rock the poor fellow 
to sleep. 

Brother Bow-Wow looked very cute, 
you may be sure, wrapped up and covered 


The Make-Believe Book 137 


with the Darling Doll’s red blanket. 

Freddy Pretend sat on a bench and 
rocked Brother Bow-Wow to sleep. 

Flora Pretend said, 

“Goodness me, what do you suppose? 

I must iron my Dollies’ clothes!” 

Just then, Mother Pretend said, “You 
are such a helpful child to-day you may 
have a REAL iron, and iron a REAL 
dress for a REAL little girl. Here is a 
dress you may iron for Little Me-Too.” 

Flora was proud and happy, you may 
be sure. 

Then Mother said, 

“Freddy Pretend, I think you’re able 
To use some polish on my table.” 

Freddy liked to do real things so he 
was happy to polish the table and other 


138 The Make-Believe Book 

furniture while Flora did some real iron¬ 
ing. 

By and by Mother Pretend brought in 
a great dish of ice cream, and when they 
had eaten enough they let Mrs. Meow 
out of the cage and let her finish what 
they had left in the dish. 

Mother Pretend said, 

“I am glad you are happy, good and gay, 
Whether at work or whether at play.” 

Mother Pretend did not know about 
the painful pouts for they had all van¬ 
ished. She did not know about the dole¬ 
ful dumps for they, too, had quite dis¬ 
appeared. 

She did not even know that Grumpy 
Grouch was waiting outside the door in 
the pouring rain. 

Said the children, “A letter we’re going 
to send 


The Make-Believe Book 139 


To dear little, queer little Patty Pretend; 
We can’t play with her so far away, 
But we’ll send a letter to her to-day.” 

Patty Pretend had gone to California 
and she was indeed many miles away. 

Perhaps if you ever meet her you will 
find out what kind of a letter the chil¬ 
dren wrote. 

When the children went to bed that 
night they said 

“Grumpy Grouch, we are glad you’re 
away, 

We had such a very happy day.” 



















Chapter Ten 
PLAYING GRANDMA 








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CHAPTER 10 

PLAYING GRANDMA 

“Will my Stay-All-Alone-Day never 
end?” 

Asked dear little, queer little Patty Pre¬ 
tend. 

Once upon a time, after Patty had gone 
to California for the winter, Grand¬ 
mother said, “I have to go away on im¬ 
portant business. I will be gone all day 
but you may play ‘Grandma/ in my 
place.” 

A car came up to the door to take 
Grandma away. She kissed Patty Pre¬ 
tend and was soon out of sight. 

Do you know that dreadfully lonesome 
feeling when some one you love goes a- 
way and you are left all alone? 


143 


144 The Make-Believe Book 


Patty Pretend was so lonesome she was 
ready to cry when the Make-Believe 
Fairy visited her and said, 

“Did I hear some one say, over the way, 
They would play ‘Grandma’ for a whole 
day?” 

The Fairy wore an invisible cloak so 
she could not be seen. She suggested 
now, 

“Wear Grandma s pretty ruffled cap, 
Take Grandma’s knitting in your lap, 
Grandma’s gown is long, ’tis true, 

Put also on her cap of blue.’ 

Grandma’s slippers rosy red 
Were made for larger feet instead; 
Then Grandma’s hassock small and 
neat 

Place underneath your little feet; 
Cushions large and cushions small, 
Grandma always likes them all. 


The Make-Believe Book 145 


The knitting-bag place with a care 
Upon the arm of Grandma’s chair.” 

“Now,” cried Patty Pretend, “I am all 
ready to play ‘Grandma’.” 

“Not so fast,” cried the Make-Believe 
Fairy. “Mrs. Meow wants to come in to 
keep you company.” 

After letting in the cat Patty cried, 
“I am really and truly ready to play 
‘Grandma’.” 

The Make-Believe Fairy cried out, “No, 
no, there are two Darling Dolls waiting 
to be dressed.” 

It took some time to dress the Darling 
Dolls in their best bibs and tuckers and 
to put one in the rocking chair and one 
in the cradle. 

Patty said again that everything was 
ready for her to begin her play when the 
Make-Believe Fairy cried, 


146 The Make-Believe Book 


“Some spectacles upon your nose 

You’re going to wear, as I suppose.” 

Patty Pretend put on Grandmother’s 
spectacles and everything looked so 
funny to her as she looked through them. 
She really had to look over them to see 
well at all. 

She said, 

“Grandmother’s game I’ll play; 

I am ready now to-day.” 

The Make-Believe Fairy was very jolly 
and shouted, 

“You think you are ready but this I see, 
You have not even a cup of tea.” 

Patty Pretend remembered that Grand¬ 
mother had told her she could make her¬ 
self a cup of tea, or a cup of cocoa, and 
have some cookies out of the cookie jar if 
she got hungry. So Patty made a little 


The Make-Believe Book 147 


lunch and set the tiny round table with 
a plate and cup and saucer for two, for 
she pretended that the Make-Believe 
Fairy was eating with her. 

She heard Fairy laughter as the Make- 
Believe Fairy said, 

“Ha, ha, ho, ho, that is very nice; 

Now, listen to some good advice, 
Whenever you long for company, 

Keep just as busy as can be; 

When you are happy the smiles come 
out, 

And Fairies are sure to dance about; 
Then sing hurrah with a one, two, three, 
We are just as cozy as can be.” 

After the Fairy tea-party, Patty Pre¬ 
tend said, “I can knit awhile now on 
Grandmother’s scarf.” 

The knitting needles began to click to 
and fro, to and fro. 


148 The Make-Believe Book 


“I will run a race with you,” said the 
clock, 

“Tick, tick, tock, tick, tick, tock.” 

The clock continued, 

“Try to knit even, try to kfiit true; 

Do not drop even a stitch or two.” 

“Dear me,” said Patty, “how much 
patience Grandmother has to put in all 
these stitches. Dear me, how very much 
surprised she will be when she sees I have 
been knitting on her scarf.” 

Now, Patty could knit very well if she 
wanted to, for she had already knitted a 
scarf and afghan for her own Darling 
Dolls. 

She ran a little red ribbon in the scarf 
where Grandmother had stopped and 
where she had begun, so she could tell by 
and by how much she had really knitted. 


The Make-Believe Book 149 


The knitting was so much fun she had 
worked for several hours before she knew 
it. 

“You won the race that time,” said the 
clock, 

With its very cheerful tick, tick, tock. 

Patty Pretend’s head went nid-nid nod¬ 
ding. 

Fairy Make-Believe said, 

“Look in Grandma’s knitting-bag to¬ 
day; 

You may travel miles and miles away.” 

Patty Pretend looked in the bag and 
drew out a little red story book with gilt 
letters upon it. 

Patty said, “This book is so full of 
stories I will pick out one about a Bunny.” 
She began to read aloud to the Darling 
Dolls, 


150 T h e M a k e - B e 1 i e v e Book 


“Once upon a time a lonesome Bunny 
sat by the fire as sulky as sulky could be. 

“A Busy Bunny peeped in the window 
and said, 

‘You seem as lonesome as can be; 

Little Bunny, come with me.’ 

“The Lonesome Bunny was only too 
glad of any excuse to get out so he said, 
‘I will gladly run over hill and dale with 
you.’ 

“The Busy Bunny took the Lonesome 
Bunny home with him where 124 Bunnies 
lived, and will you believe it? the Lone¬ 
some Bunny was kept at work from morn¬ 
ing until night. 

“Bring water, bring wood, bring kin¬ 
dling, sweep the floor, mend the stock¬ 
ings/ shouted the Busy Bunny, and every 
one in that household was kept working 
from morning until night. 









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The Make-Believe Book 151 


“The Lonesome Bunny grew happy and 
he learned if he was very busy he had no 
time to be lonesome. 

“He learned this lesson so by and by 
when he had to stay home alone he was 
no longer lonesome or unhappy for he 
was busy from morning until night. 

“He said, 

‘I’ll never be lonesome again, ’tis true; 

A Busy Bunny has work to do, 

It’s a funny thing that work brings joy 
To many a lonesome girl or boy’.” 

Patty Pretend had been dreaming. 

She woke with a start. 

She looked in her lap and in Grand¬ 
mother’s knitting-bag, but she could find 
no story-book. 

She said, “I will now bring in wood and 
water and sweep and dust and be a Busy 
Bunny.” 


152 The Make-Believe Book 


She was so very busy she did not hear 
the Postman ring but by and by she went 
to the letter box and danced with joy for 
she found a letter addressed to her. 

She sang, 

“A letter, a letter, oh, who could send 
A letter to me—to Patty Pretend.” 

She saw by and by that the letter was 
from Flora and Freddy Pretend and that 
they told her all about their merry Make- 
Believe plays. When she read about 
Grumpy Grouch she laughed until she 
cried. 

She said, “I will sit right down and 
write a letter to my cousins and I will tell 
them what a wonderful time I have had 
playing ‘Grandmother/ and I will tell 
them about my dream of the Busy 
Bunny.” 

Patty Pretend wrote an interesting let¬ 
ter for she had spent a pleasant day. 


The Make-Believe Book 153 


“Tick, tick, tock,” called the clock, 
“By and by Grandma will knock.” 

Patty looked at the clock. 

Five o’clock and just time to get sup¬ 
per. 

She took off her Make-Believe clothes 
And put on an apron, as you would sup¬ 
pose, 

And built the fire in a trice, 

And set the table with dishes nice, 

And cut the bread in slices thin, 

For that was a good way to begin; 

She washed potatoes and made a cake, 
And put both in the oven to bake; 

She made the kettle boil for tea, 

And was just as happy as could be; 

She said, “I’ll give Grandma a welcome 
hearty 

And we will have a delightful supper 
party.” 


154 The Make-Believe Book 


When Grandmother got home she was 
so pleased to find supper ready, and the 
house in order, and some knitting done 
on her scarf that she said, “I will give you 
a round, shining dollar to put in your new 
bank.” 

Patty Pretend read Grandma her letter 
and then she said, “Just think, Grand¬ 
mother, I dreamed a whole story.” 

Then she told Grandma about the Busy 
Bunny and said, “Do you ever keep a 
little red book in your knitting-bag?” 

Grandmother smiled and looked very 
wise and said, “You may look in my trusty 
old travelling-bag and see what I brought 
you from town.” 

Patty Pretend was only too glad to look 
in the trusty old travelling-bag for it al¬ 
ways contained a surprise. 


The Make-Believe Book 155 


She drew out a little red story book with 
gilt letters upon it. . 

The book was full of stories so she 
picked out one called “The Busy Bunny” 
and said, after reading it, “That is very 
much like the story in my dream.” 

She kissed Grandmother on both 
cheeks and said, 

“I will always be good when you are away; 
I will be ‘Grandmother’ often in play.” 












































Chapter Eleven 

PLAYING DOCTOR 
AND NURSE 








CHAPTER 11 

PLAYING DOCTOR AND NURSE 


Once upon a time the dolls held a coun¬ 
cil of war in the nursery. They said, 
“How can we make the children under¬ 
stand we have real feelings like they 
have?” 

Said the One-Armed doll in a doleful 
voice, 

“If I had two arms I would rejoice.” 

Said the Much-Abused Doll, “Let me ex¬ 
plain, 

I hate to be left out in the rain.” 

Another doll in a wooden voice said, 

“The puppy dragged me round by the 
head;” 


159 


160 The Make-Believe Book 


Said another Doll, “Where shall I 
begin. 

My two bright eyes have fallen in.” 

One little Doll said, “At first the chil¬ 
dren loved me; now I am forgotten and 
have to stay in this dark corner in the 
nursery. It is hard not to see sunshine 
for days and days.” 

The Dolls said, “What shall we do? We 
wish there was a Doll Hospital where we 
could go for repairs.” 

The Rag Doll said, 

“We might feel better, we might feel 
worse, 

If we got a doctor and got a nurse.” 

The Big China Doll said, “I do feel so 
ashamed to have to go through life with 
only one arm hanging by my side.” 

The Boy Doll said, “How shall we let 
the children know we have feelings and 


The Make-Believe Book 161 


would like to be mended and made as 
good as new?” 

The Boy Doll did not know that a mouse 
was listening and told his story to his 
whole family when he went home that 
night. 

The Rag Doll did not know that Mrs. 
Meow often heard her complain. 

The One-Armed Doll did not know that 
Brother Bow-Wow was really ashamed 
of taking her round by the head. 

The dolls one and all did not know 
that the Whistling Wind blowing over all 
the world would tell the children their 
troubles. 

“Dolls have feelings, if you please; 

If you love them do not tease, 

And when stars shine overhead, 
Tuck them neatly up in bed.” 


162 The Make-Believe Book 


The Whistling Wind had another re¬ 
mark to make. It said, 

“On Saturday it is never true, 

That you have really nothing to do; 
Mend your dolls and all your toys, 

Is my advice to girls and boys.” 

The patient Dolls had not very long to 
wait, for just at that very minute the 
Whistling Wind blew in at the window 
where Flora and Freddy Pretend lived. 
The children were just saying, 

“We have to stay indoors to-day 
We are very sorry indeed to say; 

We will try to be happy, good, and gay, 
But what shall we play? what shall we 
play?” 

While Freddy suggested many things 
Flora shook her head and said, 

“There is one thing I want to do; 

I want to play a game quite NEW.” 


The Make-Believe Book 163 


It was then that the Whistling Wind 
blew the window curtains and Flora said, 

“The Dolls will come each with a purse; 

You’ll be the doctor, I’ll be the nurse.” 

They took some time to dress up but 
really did not know how to begin their 
play. 

Flora found an old flour sack and made 
a picture of a cross upon it. She put this 
on her head and wore a spick and span 
clean apron. She said, “Now, any one 
would know I am a Red Cross nurse.” 

Freddy said, 

“My calling I think I need not explain; 

I’ll wear a high hat and carry a cane.” 

The children found the One-Armed 
Doll and the Doll whose eyes had fallen in, 
and still they did not know just how to 
begin their play. The Whistling Wind 
said, 


164 The Make-Believe Book 


“Ask the Tea-Kettle, if you please; 
He often answers things like these.” 

The children went to the bright, shin¬ 
ing Tea-Kettle and asked him how to be¬ 
gin their play. 

The bright, shining Tea-Kettle said, 

“Ask the Wash-Bowl on the shelf; 

He can answer you himself.” 

The Wash-Bowl was pleased to be con¬ 
sulted but only said, 

“Ask the Towel, white and clean; 
She will understand just what you 
mean.” 

The Towel piped up and said, 

“Ask the Bottle with liquid soap; 
She can answer you, let’s hope.” 

Now, the Soap-Bottle said, 

“I will leave that to the Cup and Spoon; 
They may answer your question soon.” 


The Make-Believe Book 165 


Now, though all of these things were 
useful, not one of them could really tell 
the children just how to begin their play, 
but a Good Health Fairy, bright and airy, 
danced in, singing, 

“Let us pretend a useful play, 

On a stormy Saturday; 

If you will mend the dolls with care, 
I will help, I do declare.” 

As the Good Health Fairy whispered 
to the children their merry play began. 

Flora sat down with the One-Armed 
Doll on her lap. 

“Rap-a-tap,” in came Dr. Pretend and 
felt the Doll’s pulse and produced her 
other arm from his coat pocket. 

He said, “I wonder how it broke; 

To set an arm is not a joke.” 

He set the arm and put on a wonderful 
bandage. Then he fixed the Doll whose 


166 The Make-Believe Book 


eyes had fallen in, and put a neat bandage 
on her head and she fell in a faint on the 
floor. 

The children did not know that the 
Whistling Wind had carried news of their 
play far and wide. 

“Rap-a-tap,” sounded on the door. In 
came Betty Blue with her Weary Wooden 
Doll. 

“Rap-a-tap,” sounded again. In came 
Little Me-Too with her Ripped Rag Doll. 

So it went on all day. The children 
came in with little dolls, big dolls, middle 
sized dolls, old dolls, young dolls, pretty 
dolls, ugly dolls, and the Good Health 
Fairy said, 

“Use soap and water, soap and water, 
On every one’s son and every one’s 
daughter; 



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The Make-Believe Book 167 


Use soap and water to make them clean, 
To be successful I know you mean; 

Give them a cup of milk or so; 

They may feel hungry like you, you 
know. 

Rest, and sunshine and fresh air 
You may add to Dollie’s care.” 

By and by the old sofa was covered with 
dolls and the merry children who had 
come in danced about and sang, 

“What a very merry company! 

How shall we pay the doctor’s fee? 

How shall we pay the nurse to-day? 
Without our pennies we came away.” 

Then Doctor and Nurse Pretend bowed 
and said with smiling faces, 

“We do not expect a penny, you see; 

We are glad to give you service free.” 

The children were merry as merry 
could be and took home happy Dolls with 
clean smiling faces. 


168 The Make-Believe Book 


Flora and Freddy curled up on the sofa 
to rest after their labors. “Ting-a-ling,” 
rang the door bell, and Freddy went and 
came back crying, “A letter, a letter, a 
letter.” 

Flora cried, 

“A letter, a letter, oh who could send 
A letter to us but dear Patty Pretend?” 

They looked at the letter. It was post¬ 
marked California, of course. 

The children sat side by side as they 
read the letter and cried out, “Patty Pre¬ 
tend is coming home, we are so happy. 
This letter has been so long coming we 
may expect her almost any day.” 

The letter said, 

“I will be home in merry October, 

Time when grapes are ripe all over; 

I will call on you a sunny day, 

And we will have an outdoor play.” 


The Make-Believe Book 169 


“Hurrah, hurrah.” cried the children. 

“We are so glad that Patty Pretend is 
coming home.” 

At that very minute Patty Pretend was 
on the train coming nearer and nearer. 

The children made up a little song 
which they sang to the tune of “Lightly 
Row,” 

Let’s pretend, let’s pretend, 

Every one has a dear friend; 
“Let’s pretend, let’s pretend, 
Messages we send. 

To all friends we will explain, 
Sofa’s make the finest train; 

Let’s pretend, let’s pretend, 

We are riding home.” 

The Whistling Wind blew the shutter 
and curtain and said, 

“I am off and away, I am off and away, 

I will meet you on many a holiday; 


170 The Make-Believe Book 

You can be happy world without end, 

If you live in the Land of Pretend.” 

Flora and Freddy Pretend dreamed 
that night they were really grown up 
and had become a doctor and nurse. I 
wonder if their dream ever came true? 


Chapter Twelve 
A WASH-DAY PLAY 































CHAPTER 12 

A WASH-DAY PLAY 

Once upon a time when Patty Pretend 
had asked Flora and Freddy Pretend 
over to her house to play they went out 
in the grape arbor and Flora said, 

“We are merry and gay, merry and gay, 
But Patty Pretend, what shall we play?” 

Patty Pretend put, on her thinking 
cap which was really a very old straw hat, 
quite torn at the brim, but not a single 
new idea for play would come to her. 

Freddy Pretend said, 

“What shall we do—What shall we do? 

I cannot think of anything new.” 

Flora Pretend said, 

“Let us sit down in this field of clover, 


173 


174 The Make-Believe Book 

Make-Believe folks who think thing's 
over.” 

I don’t know whether they could have 
thought of anything new or not if they 
had not heard a wee, wee voice cry, 

“I’m a Wee, Wee Man, a Wee, Wee Man; 
Just find my hiding place if you can.” 

High and low, in and out, round and 
about they all looked for the Wee, Wee 
Man. 

He was not in the grape arbor and not 
in the clover. 

He was not in the garden swing and 
not in the hammock. 

By and by he called, merrily, 

“You will find me like as not, 

If you will look in the flower-pot.” 

Patty Pretend stood on tip-toe and 
looked in the flower-pot and there sat 





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The Make-Believe Book 175 


the Wee, Wee Man no bigger than your 
little finger. 

He made up nonsense songs and 
rhymes. 

He said now, 

“When children are good on a holiday, 
I can always tell them something to play; 
Why not get the tub and rub and scrub? 
Why not hang clothes high so they will 
dry? 

Why not tie a line to the old grape vine, 
And do a doll’s washing, that will be 
fine? 

Why not wash the dog and comb the cat? 
Tell me, had any one thought of THAT?” 

The children clapped their hands in 
glee and shouted, 

“Oh, Wee Wee Man, thank you, we say, 
For suggesting to us a Wash-Day Play.” 


176 The Make-Believe Book 


The children grew busy, you may be 
sure. 

They undressed the Darling Dolls, and 
found Mrs. Meow and a good old scrub¬ 
bing brush and wash tub and wash 
board and a real clothes basket. 

Flora put up a line and Freddy pumped 
buckets and buckets of water. 

A Wee, Wee voice cried, 

“You think you are ready to play I sup¬ 
pose, 

But you’d better put on some wash-day 
clothes.” 

The children looked for the Wee, Wee 
Man but this time they could not find 
him. 

They put on clothes that water and 
play would not hurt and, to the surprise 
of all, 


The Make-Believe Book 177 


The clothes that Patty Pretend was 
rubbing 

Said, “Take turns now rubbing, scrub¬ 
bing.” 

The Darling Dolls leaned over and 
laughed. 

When Freddy put Mrs. Meow in the tin 
dish pan and began to scrub her she re¬ 
membered she had claws and a loud voice, 
and she soon ran away in the sunshine 
to get dry. 

It took a long time to wash all the Doll’s 
clothes and hang them up to dry. 

The Wee, Wee Man called, “Say this 
verse when you dry your clothes, 

“Merry sun please shine again, 

Dry our clothes before the rain.” 

Soon, some of the clothes were dry 
enough to take down. The children then 


178 The Make-Believe Book 


said, “We wish we could do a real wash¬ 
ing.” 

“Do you really?” asked the Whistling 
Wind. 

“Do you really?” asked the Wee, Wee 
Man. 

At this very minute Mother Pretend 
was saying to herself, 

“I am called away to Grandma Gray’s; 
How can I wash my clothes to-day?” 

When the children went into the house 
to get some cookies, there were clothes 
soaking in the tubs and clothes in the 
boiler. 

The Wee, Wee Man fairly shouted, 

“Little folks should never shirk; 

Here is a chance to do REAL WORK.” 

The children were happy as could be. 
They went to work at each wash tub, 


The Make-Believe Book 179 


So merrily to rub and scrub; 

They said /‘We’ll sing a happy song, 
Perhaps ’twill help the work along; 

We’ll hang the wash now on the line, 
With clothes pins now some ninety-nine.” 

It was then that the clothes pins began 
to act in a most comical manner. 

They jumped off the line and fell into 
the children’s baskets and sang, 

“We are the jolly Clothes Pin Brigade, 
Of nothing in the world afraid; 

We truly number ninety-nine, 

But we’re tired standing on the line.” 

Off they marched and the children 
cried, “Catch them, catch them.” 

By and by they marched back again 
quite as though nothing had happened. 

The children said, 

“We still have several hours for fun, 
Though the family washing is done.” 


180 The Make-Believe Book 


The Wee, Wee Man jumped up on the 
rim of Patty’s hat and whispered, 

“To the grape arbor let’s away, 

And spend the rest of our holiday.” 

So, with a hop and a skip and a bound 
they went back to the grape arbor. They 
were anxious to hear a story but the Wee, 
Wee Man cried, 

“Return a wash tub that you borrow; 
Don’t wait, please, until to-morrow.” 

When the children had taken back the 
wash tub to the Laundry, the Wee, Wee 
Man shook his fist at them and scolded, 

“Put the wash board on the shelf; 

It cannot jump up there itself.” 

They laughed when he next called, 

“The clothes basket with garments in it 
You can take back now in a minute.” 


The Make-Believe Book 181 


Then he sang, 

“If I had some twenty wishes, 

I’d hang the pan up for the dishes.” 

Next he remarked, 

“You have picked up things, but hush! 
Did you return the scrubbing brush?” 

Now all was in order and the Wee, Wee 
Man was about to begin to tell a story, 
when he grew thoughtful and said, 

“You could save yourself much sorrow, 

If you’d return the things you borrow; 

I really do not mean to tease, 

But have a place for all things, please.” 

Now he was ready to begin his story in 
real earnest. 

The Wee, Wee Man said, “Children are 
always wishing they could do big things 
and yet after all it is the Wee, Wee things 
we do that make people happy. 


182 The Make-Believe Book 


You can be thoughtful, I suppose, 

And SOMETIMES remember a door to 
close.” 

The Wee, Wee Man continued, 

“You can be thoughtful any place, 

And always have clean hands and face; 
You can be thoughtful, though not old, 
To do some things before you are told; 
I am really not much of a scolder, 

But I like to wait on people older.” 

The children said to the Wee, Wee Man, 
“Do, please, go on with your jolly story.” 
He continued, 

“Remember, please, whatever you do, 
Animals have feelings too; 

And every little plant that grows 
Has feelings, too, as I suppose.” 

Just at this minute Johnny Jump-Up 
came by, calling, 


The Make-Believe Book 183 


“I have a camera; though it seems funny, 
Your pictures won’t cost a cent of 
money.” 

The Wee, Wee Man hid away but the 
children went back and got their tub and 
wash board, and basket and dish pan and 
scrubbing brush, and looked just as they 
do in the picture, for Johnny Jump-Up 
took a picture of them and he colored it. 

When Mother Pretend returned and 
saw her washing on the line she was so 
happy she said, 

“With gratitude my heart is full; 

Now, you may have a candy-pull.” 

The neighbor children came in and they 
all made molasses candy, and what fun 
they had pulling it. 

How it stuck even to their buttered 
fingers. 


184 The Make-Believe Book 

By and by they put the candy on plates 
and left it to cool. 

The Wee, Wee Man shouted, 

“You did the washing, that was fine; 
Who’ll take it down now off the line?” 

“I will,” cried Patty Pretend. 

“I will,” cried Flora and Freddy to¬ 
gether. 

“I will,” shouted Johnny Jump-Up. 

“We will,” cried the neighbor children. 

The washing was taken down in a 
hurry but the Wee, Wee Man shouted, 

“Fold every article up neatly, 

Then your task is done completely.” 

Amid gales of laughter the children 
folded the sheets and towels and every¬ 
thing as the Wee, Wee Man directed. 


The Make-Believe Book 185 


By and by the children all went home 
except Flora and Freddy, who were plan¬ 
ning to stay all night. 

The neighbor children went off sing¬ 
ing, 

“We’ll have jolly plays that will never 
end; 

We’ll often come visit Patty Pretend.” 

Flora and Freddy sang, 

“Our pictures all over the world we’ll 
send, 

Along with a picture of Patty Pretend.” 

The children were almost ready to say 
“good night,” when the Wee, Wee Man 
came back and whispered in their ears, 

“You have candy to spare and give away; 
Why don’t you take some to Grandpa 
Gray.” 


186 The Make-Believe Book 


Patty Pretend took a plate of fine mo¬ 
lasses candy to Grandpa Gray who was 
so pleased he said, 

“Molasses candy, it can’t be true, 

Patty Pretend, is it really you? 

Have you already learned the truth 
That old people have a very sweet 
tooth?” 

Patty Pretend laughed and said, 
“Please tell us about your sweet tooth, 
Grandpa Gray.” 

Late that night the Wee, Wee Man 
perched on the window-sill and kept up 
a gentle “tap, tap, tap,” on the window 
pane, singing, 

“I’ll sing you a song if you don’t mind; 

If you always remember to be kind, 
Your play-time days will never end, 
Patty, and Flora, and Freddy Pretend.” 



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